Dalia Dursley and the Technomancer
by magikali
Summary: As one man plots to unwand the Ministry of Magic, Dudley Dursley's daughter discovers the magical world and her place within it. Despite having only just been introduced to magic, she finds herself caught between those who want to control the world and those who already do thanks to a rare ability inherited from her muggle mother.
1. Owl Post

Chapter 1: Owl Post

"Mum! I think Uncle Harry has written to us!" Dalia Dursley shouted up the stairs.

A large brown owl was sitting on the kitchen counter, an envelope clutched in its beak. It wasn't unusual for an owl to sail in through the Dursley windows on holidays or on one of the Dursley children's birthdays. Dalia's uncle Harry kept trained owls that delivered letters and packages for his family. However, it was the middle of summer, there were no family birthdays, and no holidays were looming.

Dalia knew that her uncle Harry, who was actually her father's cousin but who she'd always called Uncle, was raised with her father. She saw him a few times a year, normally at holidays. Harry and his wife, Ginny, were some of Dalia's only extended family. Her father and mother were both only children and her mother's parents had died before Dalia was born.

Harry and Ginny Potter didn't spend a lot of time with the Dursleys but they were perfectly nice and usually sent truly remarkable gifts. However, Dalia suspected that some sort of rift had developed between the Potters and the Dursleys lately. The gifts she'd gotten recently had been quite ordinary. On her last birthday, Dalia received a carved stone chess set. She liked it a lot but nobody in her house played chess so all she could do was examine the pieces and set-up the board.

In fact, all of the remarkable things the Potters had sent in previous years seemed to have disappeared from the house. Dalia's parents had used the same instant boiling tea kettle every morning for years after receiving it from the Potters as a wedding gift but it was gone now, replaced with a slower electric model. Gone too were some unusual children's toys, a framed picture that was actually a sort of interactive video of its subjects, a brass door knocker that must have had a motion sensor because it knocked automatically when anyone approached the door, and a fireplace poker that regularly prodded dying fires back to life.

Karen Dursley descended the stairs. She was a tall, lanky woman with long, wavy dark hair and dark blue eyes. Her daughter, Dalia, looked remarkably like her, though Dalia normally wore her hair in a long plait. "Where is the owl?" asked Dalia's mother matter-of-factly.

Dalia pointed into the kitchen and then followed her mother as she approached the owl. "Can I get it? I think I'm old enough now."

"Now Dalia, I don't even let Derrick or Dougie get owl post. Wild birds can carry disease, they can attack, you don't know."

"It's not wild. It's trained."

Karen ignored the protest as she gingerly tugged the envelope from the animal's beak. Free of its letter, the owl soared out the window. Dalia thought this a little strange. Normally, the owls waited for some kind of response which they delivered back to the Potters. Perhaps this one had simply gone out for a nibble and would be back.

Karen read the address on the envelope and held it out for Dalia, "It's for you. I don't recognize the writing. I'll bet it's your cousin Lily saying hello. "

Dalia was suspicious of this. Her cousin, Lily Potter, who was Dalia's age had never written to her before. Dalia took the envelope anyway and looked at the address which was written in shiny purple ink. It said:

Miss Dalia Dursley

The Kitchen

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging, Surrey

She opened it and read:

Dear Miss Dursley,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September, We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours Sincerely,  
Filius Flitwick  
Deputy Headmaster, Hogwarts 

Dalia stood there by the back door uncertain about what to think. A second page fell out. Dalia reached down to pick it up and read: 

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:  
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)  
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:  
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk  
Comprehensive Magical History Vol. I by Hermione Granger-Weasley  
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch  
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore  
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander  
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT  
wand  
cauldron (pewter, standard size 2, standard thickness 5)  
set glass or crystal phials  
telescope set  
brass scales  
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad OR a rat

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.

Dalia stood there, her mouth hanging open a bit. Was this a joke? James, Harry's oldest son, liked to play jokes. Perhaps it was he who had written his younger cousin. It did seem a bit ridiculous—a school of witchcraft and wizardry? Karen, who had taken a cake from the oven, asked "Did Lily try to grow a giant pumpkin again this year?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

"Well, what does she say, sweetie?" Karen said, absentmindedly as she prodded the cake to check for doneness.

"It's just some joke of James'. It says I'm invited to attend a school for magicians."

It was a very pathetic joke and Dalia was about to crumple the papers and put them into the rubbish bin when Karen tore the pages from her daughter's hand. She looked at the papers for all of 10 seconds before hurriedly taking the phone off the hook, dialing her husband's work phone number and telling him "Dalia's got an owl post."

In 30 minutes Dudley Dursley was home, sitting at the kitchen table, and peering at his daughter's letter. Dalia didn't understand why they were making such a big deal but she sat and waited for her father to finish looking at the letter. Her father cleared his throat and said "Your uncle Harry got a letter like this when he was your age. I never saw it. Grandpa insisted that we ignore it," Dudley chuckled a little at the thought.

"Uncle Harry?" It didn't make any sense.

"The thing is...well, the thing is that this school...it's real."

"You're saying that I am invited to a school for magicians?"

"Not magicians. These aren't show people. They're wizards," and then throwing caution to the wind he blurted out "like Harry."

Dalia sat there stunned. It was still a joke, she was sure but she didn't understand why her father's face was so grave.

"This school is where magical people go to learn how to use their powers. Your cousins, James and Al, attend this school—this, Hogwarts." he said, carefully pronouncing the last word as though he had never uttered it in his life.

Dudley sighed and his eyes darted as they did whenever he was trying to think of how to explain something. "You know that Harry's family is a bit unusual?" Dudley asked, as though trying to make a point.

Dalia thought about it. The Potters didn't have a telephone or a computer for email. All of the communications between the Dursleys and the Potters had been sent by owl. In fact, Dalia had never even seen their car. She vaguely remembered seeing them one Christmas and asking how they had arrived. "By magic." Harry had joked.

She nodded, hesitantly.

"I suppose I should have told you this before. I meant to, of course, but then we got that letter and the stakes changed," he turned to his wife. "Do we still have it, Karen?"

"Yes, I set it aside. Does this mean...? I mean she's still so young."

"She's 11. I should have known. I should have remembered. Where is it? I think she should read it."

Dalia wasn't sure what to think. She wanted them to stop speaking so cryptically but didn't dare interrupt her parents' strange conversation, afraid of what they might tell her next.

Karen retrieved an envelope from upstairs and pressed it into her husband's enormous hands. "This should help you understand," he said, handing it over to Dalia who read:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,

Although you are muggles, that is to say non-magical people, past dealings with the Ministry of Magic have left you aware of the existence of Magical society. It is my duty and pleasure to inform you of magical abilities in your daughter, Dalia.

In the past, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has allowed this magic to go on unchecked until children were of age to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While this continues to be the case, we have begun alerting muggle families early on concerning their children's emerging magical talents.

You may or may not be aware of the wizarding law prohibiting the use of magic by minor children. In magical households, the duty of policing magic use in children falls upon parents who are themselves magical. However, monitoring magic use by wizard children born to muggle parents is a duty that falls upon the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic. Once children begin their magical education, they will be prohibited from performing magic in front of muggles while underage.

While it is perfectly normal for wizard children to accidentally perform magic before beginning their education, magical ability can sometimes be honed to bully others or gain unnatural advantages in muggle society. Your child is likely not aware of the burgeoning magic within her and, if this is the case, it is best to neither encourage nor discourage its use. Although it is extremely rare, some wizards are able to control and wield magic to great effect before their education has commenced. If you are concerned that your child's magic use is a danger to herself or others, our Muggle Liaison Intervention officer can be dispatched to help gain control of the situation.

It is also important to note that the Ministry of Magic has detected a number of magical items in your home. These items could become unstable around your child without an adult witch or wizard's magical control. It is advised that, until your child's magical education has begun, these items be either discarded or stored away a considerable distance from your home. This action is suggested for your and others' safety.

Yours Sincerely,

Percy Weasley

Muggle Liason Office

Ministry of Magic

"Muggles?"

"People who aren't magic. Like your mother and I," her father explained.

"And Uncle Harry is..."

"A wizard, yes. Aunt Ginny and Lily are witches and the boys are wizards."

"But Derrick and Dougie aren't. They're ..." she used her new vocabulary word "muggles."

"Correct. But you don't have to have magical family to be a witch or wizard. And having magical family doesn't necessarily mean you'll be magical yourself. However, my aunt Lily, Grandma's sister, was a witch." Dudley explained.

"And Grandma's not?"

"Definitely not."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I don't really know. I grew up being afraid of magic. Grandma wasn't very happy when she realized that Harry was magical, like her sister."

"But if her sister was a witch…"

"It's complicated," her father exhaled slowly, took a fresh breath and continued "When she was a girl, Grandma was a little jealous of her sister. But after a while she stopped being jealous and started hating the magical world. You can imagine how she felt. Her sister was off on an adventure and she was left alone in the muggle world.

When Lily died and Harry came to live with us, she refused to believe in magic, even though Harry was bursting with it. Harry had a bit of a hard time and, I'm sorry to say, I was hard on him myself. I didn't understand everything. I still don't but I do know that if you are magic, there's not much we can do about it except let you learn how to use it properly. I suppose that's why you've been invited to attend this school." Dudley finished.

Dalia scanned the letter in her hands, still trying to make sense of it all. "So, Mum's favorite kettle?"

"Locked away in a storage unit on the other end of town, along with all of the magical gifts we've gotten from Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny over the years. That's why they only ever send muggle things now."

"Hogwarts? But what if I don't want to go? What if I want to stay here with you and Mum and go to school with Derrick and Dougie?" Dalia was confused. She didn't want to leave home to go off to some school to learn magic. She still wasn't convinced she _was_ magic.

"Well," said Dudley thoughtfully, "How about we go and get some of these supplies?" He indicated the equipment list. "Then you can see what you think."

"I don't know, dear. Are you sure we should? If she doesn't want to go, then I don't see the point in making her," said Karen, hopefully. It was clear that she didn't want Dalia to go away to school.

"We won't be _forcing_ her to do anything. We'll just be allowing her to make an informed decision." Dudley said and then added, "We agreed to all of this years ago when we got the letter."

Karen's shoulders sunk at this reminding but Dudley was looking at his daughter. "I'll write to Harry and arrange to meet him to get these items on your equipment list. I'm not entirely sure how it's done, just that all of these supplies are found somewhere in London."

"But she's still so young."

Dudley put an arm around his wife. "She'll be alright. She'll have James and Al to look after her. Lily must be starting school this year too, if Dalia's of age. It will be an adventure for her. I must say, I'm a bit jealous myself. When I was her age, I started Smeltings." He seemed to shudder at the thought of his old alma mater.

Dudley's promise to communicate with Harry was quickly fulfilled. A white owl burst in through the open window with yet another letter. This time the owl really was from the Potters. Ginny apparently knew that Dalia had been invited to attend Hogwarts and was writing to congratulate her and offer help getting Dalia ready for school. Dudley sent a letter back with this owl who, as usual, waited for a response. Just one more letter arrived by owl that day and it bore a book and instructions on where and how to meet Harry and Ginny Potter so Lily and Dalia could buy their school things together.

The book that the Potters sent was called _Magical Primer: A Guide To Navigating the Magical World for Novices_ by Hermione Granger-Weasley. A note tucked inside the cover explained that the book was a copy of a manuscript written by a friend of the Potters. The book jacket explained that it contained basic information about the wizarding world and had been enchanted so that only those with magical abilities could read it. Otherwise it looked like a computer manual. This explained why her brothers looked at her with disgust when they came across her reading it with deep interest.

She read through it slowly at first. The pictures, she noticed, looked like the family photo that her parents had put away. The people in them were moving. She read about some of the basics of magical use and about wands. Remembering a wand was an item on her school supply list, she referred back to her Hogwarts letter which she kept tucked inside the front cover. Robes, a pointed hat, and a cauldron-the list read like a Halloween party supply list.

As she read _Magical Primer_, she was convinced that she could never take it all in. There were just too many facts and her brain didn't seem big enough to hold them all. She merely skimmed through the section called _Wizard Descent: Magical Ability as Determined by Two Genes_ which attempted, through complicated explanations and diagrams, to explain how wizards could be born from muggle parents. When Dalia got to a section entitled: _Wizarding History Basics_, she was happy to see that the writing was more like a story and less like a list of facts.

She read about how the early magical people had been persecuted by the muggles of their day. Dalia wasn't sure if she believed this. Since these people were magical, she assumed that they should have been able to perform some kind of magic to prevent others from noticing them. Then she read about how these first magical people hadn't been able to do everything they liked with their powers. They had yet to discover wands, which could focus a wizard's power. Magical spells hadn't been developed and, without standard spells, their magic happened at odd times, not always creating the desired effect.

Unfocused desires, such as those that a person might consider during periods of stress, were even less likely to create the desired magical effect. Usually, the witch or wizard was the source of random magic and this made them even more likely to be discovered. So the earliest wizards and witches who found themselves facing inquiries about magical events were unlikely to be able to escape punishments that the muggles might have inflicted. Some died and many were exiled.

Over time, wizards and witches gathered together and studied magical theory. They created standardized spells with reproducible results. They invented wands. By practicing their magic carefully, they learned to control it, even under pressure.

Finally, over fifteen centuries ago, the magical community had gone into hiding when the study of magical theory led to the development of entirely magical lifestyles. Large-scale enchantments and spells were placed on property which enabled magical people to live, for the most part, beyond the notice of muggles. While they had agreed that muggle society was not to be disturbed, and created laws and governing bodies to oversee the magical community, they realized that they could not avoid muggles entirely. Instead, they agreed to learn to act like them when in their company. This was mandated by wizarding law.

By the time the muggle world was caught-up in witch hunts in the 15th century, the real witches and wizards had long since been hidden away and sufficiently able to avoid prosecution.

Dalia's reading had been disturbed several times by her brothers. The boys had been given an explanation of the morning's activities by their parents and didn't seem to regard their sister differently. They strode through her door with hats, asking her to pull rabbits from them and wondering if she could use magic to get them a copy of Legends of Skythorpe, a video game that was recently released and so popular that it was almost impossible to get a copy.

Derrick was two years older than his sister and Dougie was 4 years older than her. Derrick was very tall and Dougie was shorter and quite sturdy. Both of them had pale blonde hair. The pair of them were quite foreboding, especially when compared to their tiny dark-haired sister. People were often flabbergasted to realize that the boys and Dalia were related.

It was her brothers' pestering that made Dalia actually long to be away from home for the first time. The boys were very protective of their sister and seemed to think that only they were allowed to pick on her. Not only did they hold sway over her but they instilled fear in other kids to ensure her safety. She was painfully aware of feeling powerless to them and their brotherly bullying of her.

Over the years, as they migrated from military base to military base for their father's job in the military, this was a problem for Dalia. As her family only stayed about 9 months in each place, it was hard enough making friends. Her brothers' protective instincts made friendships even more difficult. She loved her brothers but they were so...male.

She finally shooed them out of her room for the third time that day after insisting that she couldn't turn their pencils into chips. While she was pushing them out, Dalia's cat, Zorro took the opportunity to enter her room. When Dalia plopped down on her bed again, Zorro leapt into her lap, purring endlessly.

"Boys!" she said as she stroked Zorro's striped brown fur, "Well, human boys at least...muggle boys, I guess."

The sight of her cat reminded her that she was allowed to bring a pet to school with her. Zorro had been a gift to Dalia's from Harry and Ginny on her tenth birthday so it was certainly her right to take him with her even though everyone regarded him as something of a family pet. Zorro sniffed Dalia's book, and used his slightly squashed looking nose to flip over a page. She thought wistfully of Zorro living in her school dormitory and snuggling up to her every evening while she did her homework without the bother of her brothers. It might be nice to go away to school, she thought. She had spent most of her life moving at least once a year for her father's job. Her new home in her grandparents' former house was supposed to give her life stability. Maybe she could find that at school too.

It was late and Dalia needed to sleep. It had been a busy day. She expected that a good night's sleep would help her think clearly about the choice she was being given.


	2. Diagon Alley

Chapter 2: Diagon Alley

Early the next day, Dalia woke up. She'd had a strange dream about her brothers being turned into rabbits and hoping around helplessly amid a collection of sports equipment. The developments of the previous day had spun around in her head all night and she felt as though she'd barely slept.

It was Saturday. Her father, on his way out the back door to tend to the garden, told her that they would be going into London for lunch and then to do her school shopping. She still didn't understand how school shopping would help her decide to attend Hogwarts but, it was an opportunity to go into London, her favorite city in the world, and she didn't complain.

After eating breakfast and finishing her morning chores, she settled down with her book. Instead of hiding away in her bedroom, she sat at the kitchen table to read the morning away. She continued in the chapter on wizard history, learning about wizard uprisings and how some wizards weren't satisfied living in hiding from muggles.

As the history began to close-in on modern day, she became abruptly aware of the power of the wizarding world. She learned that some wizards used dark magic, the branch of magic that sought to use extraordinary means to control the lives of others and alter society. After reading about the rise of a dark wizard called Voldemort, she was chilled to the bone.

Voldemort was—there was no other word for it, evil. He had been gaining power at an amazing rate when he was suddenly stopped one Halloween evening almost forty years ago. That night he had gone out to personally murder a wizard baby who, it had been prophesized, would destroy him. Dalia noticed that the pages in this section were a little different than the previous ones. Some of the text looked different. The illustrations had gaping holes in them, like it had been hurriedly assembled. But she read on.

Voldemort destroyed the child's father without a second thought. He turned to the child and was confronted by the child's mother whose imploring words had woven a charm that would protect her baby. Voldemort destroyed this woman too, laughing about how easy it had been. But when he turned his wand onto the child, the lingering charm caused the spell to rebound upon Voldemort and his soul was exiled from his body.

As she was about to read further, her father tapped on her shoulder startling her slightly. "Time to go." Her mother and father were standing there waiting for her. She had barely noticed their hustle and bustle to get ready for their trip. The book had taken all of her concentration. She got her pocketbook, said goodbye to Zorro, and followed them out the door, forgetting about the book until they had already gotten onto the motorway.

Her father drove them to London. Dalia deeply regretted having forgotten her magical primer. She had intended to continue reading during the journey but instead she contented herself with looking out the window and asking questions that occurred to her about the wizarding world.

Her mother could not answer many of her questions. She had grown up in a muggle house and didn't know the slightest thing about wizards until after she met Dudley. Her father didn't provide a lot of answers either. Dalia thought he might be holding something back but assumed that it would come out in due course. It had turned out that he spent his childhood bullying Harry and that his father, her grandfather, had not understood the wizarding world at all. However, unlike Dudley, Vernon Dursley had resorted to pretending that it didn't exist. It was his coping mechanism and her Grandma Petunia had followed along.

"I don't want you thinking badly of your granddad, rest his soul, or your grandmother. They just didn't understand what to do with Harry. They thought that, being muggles and raising a wizard, they were expected to make him behave like a muggle. After what happened to Aunt Lily, I guess they were worried."

"What do you mean? What happened to Aunt Lily? Do you mean her dying?"

Dalia didn't understand why someone dying would make her grandparents want to prevent Harry from being magical.

"Sort of." Dudley replied as he fought traffic to park on Charing Cross Road. Changing the subject, he said "Harry agreed to meet us here, next to this pizza restaurant."

Once they got out of the car and were standing on the sidewalk, Dalia peered uneasily toward the restaurant. It seemed very empty and she had been hoping for fish and chips, her usual lunch when they went into London for something. Dalia was going to tell her parents that she didn't want pizza when she glanced past the pizza restaurant and saw a dark-haired man with brilliant green eyes smiling at her. Harry was standing in the doorway of the pub next door. Harry waved and she ran over to give him a hug. Dudley and Karen clearly didn't see Harry. They quickly followed their daughter, apparently concerned about why she had abruptly started to run down the busy sidewalk.

As Harry leaned over to hug his niece, he flicked his wand surreptitiously behind her back. Dudley and Karen appeared to have become suddenly aware of Harry. Karen let out the tiniest of screams and Dudley chuckled gently as the pub melted into view before them.

"Come on in." Harry motioned for them to enter the grubby pub doors and they obliged.

"Sorry about that. I had to perform a minor charm so you could see the place. Muggles can't come in, normally." Harry explained as the Dursleys wandered inside. "It's called the Leaky Cauldron."

Dalia took in the surroundings of the pub. It was fairly dark inside, hiding many of the booths. A few assorted people in strange clothes were sitting at the bar. In a well-lit corner, a red-haired boy about her age was sitting with people she assumed were his parents and sister. His sister's nose was buried in a book, her bushy red hair pulled into a loose ponytail. They were dressed just like people on the street and looked perfectly ordinary. She wondered if they were wizards. A pretty lady at the bar was talking in low whispers to a dark-haired man who then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and went out the back door.

Dalia noticed her aunt and cousins at a table off to the side. Ginny, smiling kindly, got up and waved them over. Her aunt Ginny looked the same as ever, her long red hair was pulled back into a loose knot with the ends escaping. She was wearing a strangely cut deep blue dress that seemed to fit-in with the strange clothes worn by many of the other pub-goers. When Dalia reached her, she gave Dalia a big hug. Dudley wrung the boys' hands. Her cousins seemed the same as ever but a little older than the last time they had met. Lily and Dalia were both about the same height but Lily was a contrast to Dalia thanks to her red hair and fair complextion. Albus was only a few years older than his sister but not a lot taller. Everyone called him Al except for his mother. James was a few years older still.

As everyone ate, Dalia heard the Potters and the Dursleys exchange niceties.

"How's the old homestead?" Harry asked Dudley.

"It's been an adjustment moving in to Mum and Dad's old place, that's for sure. But since Dad died, Mum hasn't been up to taking care of the place on her own. I think she likes her little retirement flat at Bennington Estates. Lots of neighbors and little scandals to take up her days, you know."

Harry laughed heartily.

"I never expected to inherit Dad's drill-making company. I mean, he only bought it a few years ago, before he got sick. But since he spent all of those years building it up before buying it, I thought it would be nice to take it on."

"Good for you, Dudders," said Harry.

"Karen, are you excited about teaching again? What grade is it?" Ginny inquired.

"It's grade one and, yes, I can't wait. It's been a few years but I think I'll manage. Now that I've got the house sorted, I think it will be a smooth transition."

"As long as the boys don't wreck it in the afternoons before we get home," added Dudley.

"I know exactly what you mean," said Harry, looking at his sons who had just gotten over a furious battle for the sugar tongs. James looked smug; Al had crossed his arms in annoyance.

"So you're coming with me to Hogwarts?" Lily asked Dalia pointedly.

"I'm not sure." She said honestly.

"Oh." Lily was clearly taken aback, "but I thought-"

"Never mind what you thought," interjected Aunt Ginny. "Dalia isn't quite sure if Hogwarts is for her."

Lily clearly wanted to say something but upon gazing at her mother, thought better of it. Al was now fingering his wand on the table. It was made of a gnarled dark wood. Dalia noticed that it was quite different from James', which lay in front of him, a thin, smooth, and light colored wand. Remembering that wands were each as different as the wizard to whom they belonged, she wondered what hers might look like.

Harry saw her eying the wands, a look of comprehension dawning on his face. "That's what we should get first, wands. You'll feel like proper witches once you've got your wand."

"Maybe." said Dalia uncertainly. Harry simply smiled.

"Oh, I can't wait!" said Lily excitedly.

Ginny and Karen were chatting away about how much the kids had grown. It was strange having something of a family reunion in this dingy pub without her brothers there to terrorize their cousins. In their absence, Dalia finally felt comfortable talking with her cousins at length. James had even been friendly enough to offer her a sweet but Ginny cut across him with a don't-you-dare glare which Dalia wasn't sure she understood.

"Do you remember my friend Ron, Ginny's brother?" Harry asked Dudley.

"I think so. I remember his father blasting through our wall and leaving behind the sweets that made my tongue grow." said Dudley.

The offer of James' sweet and Ginny's response suddenly made sense.

"That's right. Actually, it was Ron's brother who dropped the sweets." said Harry. "Ron's here with his family, if you don't mind saying hello."

"Sure. I'd like to meet him." said Dudley

"Like?" said Harry.

"It's ok," he told Harry. "I know he won't be giving me a tail."

Harry waved over toward the father of the children in the corner, smiled, nodded, and gestured toward his family. "His son, Hugo, starts Hogwarts this year with Lily. Their daughter, Rose, is in Albus' year. They were going to buy their Hogwarts supplies today too so I thought the kids could get their things together."

The family had come over and Harry introduced them to the Dursleys. "These are Ron, Hermione, Rose, and Hugo." He pointed to each in turn, then added "Weasley."

"Wait," Dalia stopped them remembering that the author of her magical primer was a friend of theirs, "Hermione, is that like Hermione Granger-Weasley?"

"Yes, she's me." said Hermione.

"I'm reading your Magic Primer. And I know you wrote the Magical History book too," said Dalia.

"What, are you a bookworm like Hermione?" Ron laughed.

"No, I'm just doing research." said Dalia a little shyly.

Dalia met Hugo and Rose. Rose barely had time for them. She was hurriedly reading through a magazine called _Trendy Transfigurations_.

The whole group ordered their lunch. To Dalia's delight, the pub had good fish and chips. They had a very unusual menu consisting of traditional English foods and an assortment of herbal infusions that could be added to them. When Dalia asked about the strange herbs on the menu she was told that it was because the owner's husband was an herbologist who had catalogued many of those herbs himself and that some of them had magical effects. She was reminded of a smoothie shop and all its various additives but was quite sure the smoothie shop's herbs weren't particularly powerful.

After lunch, they all got up and followed Harry out the back door. Dalia wondered why they didn't just leave through the front door to find the shops they needed but decided to just let her Aunt and Uncle and their friends lead the way and not ask questions. They emerged in a tiny back garden. It was quite crowded but Dalia pushed her way to the front of the group next to Lily and Hugo. When he was sure they had all squeezed together, Harry pulled out a wand and tapped one of the bricks. The rest of the bricks slid out of the way and revealed an archway and what looked like a collection of shops beyond.

"It's called Diagon Alley," explained Aunt Ginny to the Dursleys. "All of the shops are wizarding shops. There are places to get potion ingredients, wizard robes, books, and anything a wizard could need. My brother, George, owns a joke shop down the street. We'll go there later. James can't stay away from that place."

Dalia was in shock. Not only had a whole cluster of shops appeared out of nowhere, but it looked like every person they saw wandering around was a wizard or witch. The street contained people in strangely adorned clothes and hats. She could hear some of the conversations going on between the shoppers. Some were discussing the stars, others were talking about brewing (she assumed they meant potions). She was quite aware that their large gathering was drawing a lot of attention. People looked at her aunt and uncle and nodded in greeting as they walked by.

There were just too many Potters, Weasleys, and Dursleys so they split up. Ginny and Ron took a reluctant Karen and the older children to buy books while Harry, Hermione, and Dudley took the other children to buy their first wands. Dalia was excited to see the wands but was a little worried about finding her perfect match. They wandered into a shop called Ollivander's. Here an elderly man greeted them as though he had been expecting them. Harry whispered to the children that this was Mr. Ollivander.

"Ah, if it's not Hugo Weasley and Lily Potter and I see you've brought another relative, though I'm fairly certain this is not another Weasley."

"Uh, that's right, Mr. Ollivander. This is my niece, Dalia Dursley." Harry told him.

"Certainly, certainly." said Mr. Ollivander who gave Dalia a little bow.

Dalia, Lily, and Hugo were all lined up looking over the tall counter at the stacks of long, thin boxes on shelves behind the counter.

"Excuse me just a moment," Mr. Ollivander said before turning to a curly-haired sandy-blond man who had emerged from a back room. "If you would please sort the yew branches for me, Peleg."

"I do apologize. My new apprentice is just getting acquainted with the finer points of wood lore."

"Of course." Harry accepted.

"So, which of you do I try first, hmm?" he seemed to be addressing this question to himself, which must have been true, "Miss Dursley, of course." He turned to look at Dalia.

Dalia was horrorstruck. She didn't know how to go about finding a wand. She could not recall doing any kind of magic before and this seemed a bad time to start doing it.

"Now which is your wand hand?" he asked her.

"The hand you write with." added Harry.

"Neither." Dudley offered before Dalia had a chance to respond, "she's ambidextrous, like her mother."

Dalia nodded slightly.

"Very good, very good," Mr Ollivander said dismissively as he pulled out a small measuring tape that began to measure Dalia's arms, hands, ears, and just about anything else it could.

As soon as the tape set to work, Mr. Ollivander cleared his throat a little and began speaking slowly. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magic substance, children. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand. Do you understand?"

Lily and Hugo nodded at him. Dalia quickly added her nod though the others had stopped.

Mr. Ollivander took hold of the tape, which was trying to wrap itself around Dalia's left pinky, and examined it. His brow furrowed and, for a split-second, he looked perplexed. However, when he lifted his eyes from the tape, there was no trace of the expression.

"I believe we should begin with dragon heartstring wands." At his words, one of the bookcases slid to the side to reveal another set of shelves packed with boxes.

"Wands have personalities—moods, like people. Unlike people, they are only content when they are matched with the right wizard. Each kind of core has its own characteristics which suit particular wizards better than others. Dragon heartstrings are not necessarily more magical than other cores." he told her as he motioned at a stack of boxes which gently floated onto the counter and sorted themselves. "However, a dragon's magic is centered deeply within its heart, rather than its mind which offers certain advantages."

"For instance," Mr. Ollivander went on, "I've asked these wands to assemble themselves according to how strongly their instinctual pull is toward you. This is something that only dragon heart string wands can do. Wands with other cores will not be able to accomplish this task. It is likely that the best wand for you is among the first few you will pick up."

"So," said Dalia, a little worried at speaking up "how do I know when I've got the right wand?"

"You'll know" said Hermione, simply.

Mr. Ollivander continued, "Ambidextrous wizards, though there are few, usually find that their magic only truly flows from one hand in particular. While they may perform other tasks equally well with both hands, magic requires more focus. A dragon heartstring is more likely to help you find and focus your magic. I daresay, we are about to find out which is your wand hand."

Dalia looked at her hands, clenched and unclenched them. She had always felt different because she was "neither-handed," as Dougie had always put it. She had spent years testing herself in various ways to see if she could understand why others felt more comfortable with one hand than another to no avail. It seemed that, today, she was finally about to discover the answer to this question.

Mr. Ollivander opened the first box and held it out, indicating for Dalia to pick up the wand. She picked it up with her left hand, which was closest.

"Willow, dragon heart string, of course. Eight and three-quarter inches long. Very springy. If you would please swish it through the air."

Dalia did as she was asked. Next to her, Lily and Hugo were wide-eyed and excited. Dalia barely had it in her hand and didn't even have a chance to really swish it when Mr. Ollivander interrupted.

"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, smiling. "Let's see you try the other hand, same procedure."

Deciding not to argue that she hadn't even had a chance to swish the wand, she put the wand into her right hand. It didn't feel magical at all in either grip. It was as if she were simply holding a piece of wood.

"Ah, yes, that can happen. You do not want a wand with such pretentions. We'll just need to try another."

Mr. Ollivander seemed excited by the prospect. He selected the next wand saying "Olive Branch, 9 and one quarter inches, quite bendy."

In her right hand, the wand felt light and vibrated ever so slightly. The wand felt as though it were an extension of her very fingers. Dalia didn't think anyone could notice the sensation in her hand as she held the wand. She thought she saw a puzzled look on Mr. Ollivander's face, which caught her off guard. However, it was gone as quickly as it came. Dalia was about to swish this wand in the air when Mr. Ollivander interrupted and took it from her.

"Why don't you switch hands for me then?" he said as he held it out for her left hand.

As Dalia took it, the feeling was similar as it had been in her right hand but the wand began to spark as though it were the base of a firework. Everyone applauded. Dalia was in awe. This was her wand. She suspected the sparks started before she'd even taken a firm hold of it. It was strange how differently the wand felt in each of her hands. Although Mr. Ollivander had promised that she had just one "magic hand." She felt a distinctive sensation in each. It was as though the wand were peaceful and content in her right hand, while trying to prove itself in her left. If wands really did have personalities, hers seemed to have two.

She thought of asking about her wand's performance but decided she didn't want to in the midst of the shop and the small crowd that had accompanied her. It was probably as Mr. Ollivander said, magic required focus. Perhaps her right hand was simply less adept and, when she practiced magic, she'd find her right hand was totally inadequate. Still, she thought she'd ask her aunt or uncle about it privately.

Lily took seventeen tries before finding her wand. Mr. Ollivander was not perturbed in the slightest and seemed to enjoy finding more wands for her to try. She ended up with a phoenix feather wand made of zebrawood. Hugo's wand, the fifth he tried, was filled with a unicorn tail hair and was made of beech wood. When they were ready to pay, Dudley pulled out his wallet. "Oh, I forgot," said Harry, "they don't take Muggle money. We'll have to go down to the bank and exchange some for gold. This one is on me." He pushed Dudley's wallet aside and dropped a handful of coins onto the counter.

Dalia thanked Harry and held the box tight to her as she exited the shop with her father and Hermione. Harry had lagged behind a minute. She was fairly sure it was safe to ask Hermione about the strange behavior of her wand. Hermione had, after all, written the magical primer that contained so much useful information. Hermione's eyes were on the window of the shop where Harry could be seen talking to Mr. Ollivander through the window. Just as Dalia was about to ask her question, Hermione shot a question at her instead. "Do you have a pet? Hogwarts allows some animals, you know."

"I have Zorro," Dalia said, "He's my cat."

"I brought my cat, Crookshanks, in my third year." Hermione seemed to be trying to fill up the time of Harry's absence for some reason. "Crookshanks was part kneazle—a magical creature much like a cat—so I had him for a long time. Kneazles make good guardian creatures for wizards. They are usually mixed with domestic cats because they look a little too odd to muggles. Kneazles live to be a lot older than cats and mixes can live two to three times as long. Crookshanks only died last year."

Dalia thought that Hermione could feel her question and was avoiding it. Not wanting to push Hermione and fearful of how her question would sound to the others, Dalia decided to let the subject drop for the moment and turned to her father who had been strangely quiet. He was not a man of many words, it was true, but she wondered what he thought of everything. He seemed overwhelmed, perhaps by the surroundings of Diagon Alley, because he was looking around at everything as a child might in a candy shop.

Harry finally emerged from the wand shop. Once he joined them, Dalia's father turned to her "So, will you be taking your wand and Zorro to school?"

Her uncle, father, Hermione, Lily and Hugo looked at her, waiting to hear the answer. Getting her wand was one of the most amazing experiences of her life. She supposed that school would be another series of interesting events. Harry and Hermione looked excited for her. Even her father seemed to think that Hogwarts might be right for her. Looking over at Lily and Hugo, she realized that she wouldn't be doing this alone. No bullying brothers, a whole world of possibility ahead of her. She found herself nodding in agreement. She was going to Hogwarts.

She didn't know what Hogwarts would be like but she felt like the fresh start her family was making in Little Winging was not enough for her. Settling down and making friends that she would be able to keep for more than 9 months at a time sounded good. Doing so away at school couldn't have been that much different.

Hugo didn't have much patience with everyone standing around. He pointed down the street. "I'm going to look in the window at the Quidditch shop," he said before tearing off up the street to a little shop at which several people were crowded around a display window. Lily followed and urged Dalia to copy her.

The displays of broomsticks were fascinating.

"We can't have them in the first year," Hugo told them both.

"I know," Lily sighed disappointedly.

"When I do get to have my own, I'm getting a Mercury XK6."

"Those Mercuries are so flashy." Lily protested. "If you want a good broom, you have to get one designed in Romania."

And the two were off discussing the various brooms in much the same way as Dalia's brothers like to discuss sports cars or soccer clubs.

As the rest of the party approached the shop, the two had stopped arguing to ogle the new robe design for one of the big Quidditch teams, the Tutshill Tornadoes. Dalia had read a little bit about Quidditch in her primer. It sounded a bit like muggle soccer, despite being played in the air.

Dalia saw Lily deftly slide her wand from its box and place it in her hand. Dalia, who hadn't wanted to put her wand away in the first place, copied her, choosing to use her right hand, as her wand seemed less rambunctious there. She liked having it in her hand. Perhaps this was because it was so new. But she noticed that nobody else in Diagon Alley was carrying their wand so obviously. So she pushed it up her right sleeve. It felt warm and friendly against her skin.

The adults, who had been in deep discussion, joined them again and the group walked together to the bank, a tall, white stone building that looked as austere as the old bank buildings in London. She supposed that this was one thing that the muggle and magical worlds had in common—banks that looked foreboding.

As it was a Saturday, Diagon Alley was teeming with witches and wizards out for a day's shopping. This was something that was common in the muggle world too. However, unlike in the muggle world, the six of them couldn't walk two steps before someone was bowing and saying hello to Harry. He seemed to be very popular.

There was a queue inside the bank that stretched to outside. Harry and Dudley agreed to stand in line there while Hermione took the kids to get ice cream. So she ushered the Dalia, Hugo, and Lily to Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlor. There they ate huge ice creams while Hermione told them all about Hogwarts.

"And you shouldn't worry about which house you get in." she was telling them, "You'll still learn a lot and have plenty of fun."

"She's supposed to tell us that in case we get stuck in Slytherin," said Hugo,

"Hugo Weasley, you know perfectly well that it doesn't matter what house you get into. Besides, Andromeda Tonks was a Slytherin and she's very nice."

As it turned out, Hugo was a very good artist. He gobbled down his ice cream quickly, took out a little sheaf of papers and quill, and drew a winged dragon while the rest of them ate.

As everyone was finishing their ice creams, Harry and Dudley turned up.

"This wizard money is confusing." Dudley was saying, holding out a small green velvet bag full of coins and handing it to his daughter, "but I'm sure Dalia will have it figured out in no time."

Hermione took one of each kind of coin from the bag and laid them out on the café table. She gave Dalia a quick explanation of the values of each coin while Hugo finished his drawing and Harry bought he and Dudley ice creams.

Next, they met the rest of their group outside a clothing shop. Karen hugged Dalia as though theirs had been an extended absence. As Dalia freed herself of her mother's embrace, she knew that her mother had realized what Dalia's decision must have been.

James, Al, and Rose had already been fitted in new Hogwarts robes. Hermione, Ginny, and Karen took the other three inside for their fittings. The three children stood on platforms while the seamstress measured them. Dalia listened as Hermione and Ginny gave Karen an explanation of Hogwarts uniforms and gave advice on washing them.

"They'll come with cleanliness charms and those should last until school starts," Ginny was saying. "They'll repel dirt, even if the kids wear them around a bit. James wore his for two weeks straight before his first year. He fell in a pool of mud and it still looked brand new."

Dalia quietly giggled at the mothers' conversation.

"Which is your wand hand?" the little seamstress asked Dalia, "so I know which side should have the wand pocket."

Dalia paused a minute, and was about to tell her that she was ambidextrious when Hermione answered for her.

"Right."

Not wanting to sound contradictory, Dalia left it at that. She wasn't so sure her right hand was her "magic hand" and didn't understand why Hermione had spoken for her. However, she didn't want make a fuss and decided to let the matter pass.

When her robes were finished, Dalia stood there looking at herself in the mirror. Karen burst into tears.

"It's ok Karen, It's hard to see them growing up so much." Ginny consoled her and then, changing the subject, asked "Will the boys still be going to secondary school nearby?"

"Yes," she said, daubing at her tears with a tissue Ginny had produced from the end of her wand, "Dudley would never let them go away to that Smeltings. He hated it there when he was a boy. But Hogwarts sounds lovely."

"It is. It really is." said Hermione, patting Karen gently on the back.

When her robes and cloak had been purchased, Dalia immediately swapped her light jacket for the cloak, placing her wand into the long, thin wand pocket she found in the lining on her left side. At first the pocket seemed a bit too long. Her wand fell deep inside. However, after a few seconds, the pocket had fitted itself around the wand and its handle stuck out just enough for her to grip the end to slide it out.

As the large group walked down Diagon Alley, they cut a wide path. Although the area was packed with people, all of whom seemed to know Harry at least, they found themselves being given plenty of room to maneuver around. Dalia wondered at this until she saw Hermione putting her wand into her own wand pocket. Of course, she thought, Hermione must have cast some kind of spell. She made a mental note to ask what it was, thinking it might be something to try on her brothers.

They went to the book shop and the potion supply center and purchased the rest of the items on their lists. The shops were incredible. The shelves were stacked with magical supplies. Dalia couldn't even imagine what all of these things were for. It seemed overwhelming but exciting all at once.

When they reached the joke shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, they were greeted by George Weasley, brother to Ginny and Ron, who, Dalia was not surprised, also had red hair, though his was quite long and tinged with a liberal amount of gray. George's face and long red and gray beard had soot marks giving the impression that something had recently exploded in his face. James' eyes twinkled as he asked his uncle "Got the lowdown on the latest and greatest?"

"Don't I always?" he answered back, a smile playing around his eyes.

Dalia was introduced to George who, in turn, introduced her to his wife, Angelina and his children, Roxanne and Fred who all worked at the shop on summer weekends. Fred looked like his mother. He was almost as dark as Angelina, who was black, and his dark curly hair was cut very short. Roxanne was beautiful. She had skin the color of coffee with cream and red-brown hair in many small braids that were gathered together into a ponytail.

Fred, it turned out, was in his final year at Hogwarts and Roxanne was in school a few years below him. Fred, was preoccupied by a display he was setting up. Roxanne seemed nice but was overly curious about Dalia being introduced as Harry's niece because she had been under the impression that Harry was an only child. When Dalia explained the relationship, she seemed satisfied. Albus explained that Roxie was on the school paper and always liked to get the facts straight.

Dalia enjoyed looking around this shop immensely. There were joke wands and cauldrons, fireworks, and a huge array of potions and jars of mysterious potion ingredients. The gag items were supplemented by comic books with pictures that moved and, off to the side, a small section of trick sweets.

When they were finished at the joke shop, Ron and Hermione's family broke off from the group. They said their goodbyes and promised they would be meeting Dalia again soon. Then Ginny took Rose's hand, Ron put his large hands on Hugo's shoulders and the four of them disappeared with two loud pops.

The Dursleys and the Potters made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron where they collapsed with all of their shopping. Harry and Ginny had insisted on buying everyone dinner. Dalia enjoyed a large bowl of stew with an herbal infusion Ginny had recommended which the menu proclaimed would both soothe and perk up the weary wizard. It did seem to be working as Dalia was filled with a feeling of contentment, though it might have simply been from the day itself. It had been amazing, better than any birthday or holiday she'd ever had.

She still had lingering questions about her wand but, just at that moment, when she felt as though everything was perfect, they seemed unimportant.

Dalia and her cousins sat talking about Hogwarts. Lily, to Dalia's surprise, had no idea how new students were sorted. James and Al refused to tell her only saying that the rumors about how the procedure took place were worse than how it really happened. Even the adults refused to give specific details.

It was agreed that Dalia would spend the last week of the summer with the Potters. Dalia was pleased by this. She felt that she wanted to know a little more about the magical world before getting on the train for school on the first of September. Karen seemed reluctant to let this early separation happen. She wanted to say goodbye properly at the train station. Dudley was insistent that they could say their goodbyes when the Potters came to fetch Dalia.

"It just makes sense," he told his wife "she'll be around family for that first week away from home. It will be a good transition for everyone. We can write to her every day if you'd like—more than once."

Karen began to protest how difficult this would be when Dudley revealed a surprise. On his way back from the bank, he had bought the family a small owl to carry the mail and it had been sent on ahead of them. This was so the Dursleys wouldn't have to worry about having their daughter's mail sent through the postal system. The postal address for Hogwarts mail was in the village near Hogwarts and was sent on via owl. Because it could take nearly a week for mail to arrive in this fashion, Dudley thought it was simpler to just get a family owl.

The families made their farewells and departed. Dalia had wanted to discuss the day during the ride home but she fell asleep and woke up only when they pulled into the driveway.


	3. Godric's Hollow

Chapter 3: Godric's Hollow

The small brown owl that Dalia's father had purchased was there then they arrived at home. Dalia decided to call it Nestor. It would live on Privet Drive so that Dudley and Karen could write to Dalia or the Potters whenever they wanted. Ginny told them that the school had its own owls that students could use. Dalia wanted to try using Nestor to deliver mail so she wrote a quick note of thanks to the Potters on some of her new parchment. Nestor watched her intently as she wrote.

The ink, an addressee-only variety she bought at the joke shop, would only appear to those to whom it was addressed. Otherwise, the parchment would look completely blank. This was, as George Weasley had explained, perfect for covert communications. Although she didn't have any worries that her thank you note would fall into dangerous hands, she wanted to see how it worked. The ink looked quite ordinary until she had written a couple of lines, then it looked as though it had been absorbed by the paper.

Once she had written thank-you to the Potters for the day, the food, and her new wand, she rolled up her paper and gave it to the owl. However, Nestor continued to sit contentedly on its perch. Dalia had never seen the Potter's owl do this. It had always flown off as soon as it had its note or package. Maybe her aunt and uncle had trained it to know where to go. Was she supposed to address the letter?

"You need to tell the owl who to deliver the letter to and where," her father told her when he spotted her trying to shoo the owl out the window. "He'll find the addressee. It's some sort of magical skill they have. Let me show you," and Dudley Dursley addressed the owl: "Take this to Harry and Ginny Potter in Godric's Hollow."

As soon as he had been told the location, Nestor flew off. Dalia watched the owl disappear into the distance. "Did you learn that when you were a kid? I'll bet Uncle Harry sent a lot of letters to Ginny, Ron, and Hermione when he was a kid, right?"

"Not really. Grandpa didn't—um, like to see owls around the house much," and, changing the subject he said, "it's about time you went up to bed. You've had a very busy day."

"Dad, how come you are so excited for me to go to Hogwarts? Grandma and Grandpa didn't seem very keen on the place. I would think that you wouldn't like it either. It's just strange...all of those jokes between you and Harry..."

"I've seen the magical world," Dudley said simply. "It can be mysterious and sometimes even dangerous. But it's fascinating. In the magic world everyone has something on common. It binds them together. No matter how rich or poor a wizard is, no matter how much two wizards don't like one another, no matter what part of the world they are from, there's something they all share. I've hardly ever seen its equal in the muggle world."

Dalia wanted to ask more about what he'd seen but he forestalled her with an "Off to bed."

Dalia did as she was told but realized, as she climbed into bed, that her father had seemed vague for the second time that day. Aside from the magic in the air, there seemed to be some strange secrets being shared among the adults. There had also been that time when Hermione told the seamstress about the wand pocket. Her thoughts of the excitement of the day, however, soon overshadowed her vague worries.

In the coming weeks, Dalia read as much as she could about the magical world. She made a good start on her school books. Much of the information seemed more like it was buzzing around in her brain, still waiting to be absorbed. This she attributed to the fact that she could not put any of the magic into practice until she arrived at school.

She finished her magical primer, the last part of which only carried vague details on the downfall of the dark wizard Voldemort. She learned that Voldemort, during his rise to power, had stored pieces of his soul in various objects hidden in different places. They were insurance to prevent him from truly dying. However, the pieces were discovered and systematically destroyed by enemies, making Voldemort, at last, mortal and therefore vulnerable to death. His last encounter was a battle that involved a lot of wizards and witches. Afterward, he was finally dead along with many of his followers and some of the rebellion force.

The end of the summer was a busy time for her mother who was making preparations for her new teaching position. Dalia helped her mother arrange her classroom. With the end of the construction season coming soon, her father would be preparing to attend many trade shows to display his company's new line of self-leveling drills. So he wasn't around as much as usual.

Derrick and Dougie were just as troublesome as ever. Dalia somehow thought that the knowledge that their sister was a witch in possession of a wand would stop them in their relentless efforts to harass her. However, she found that, although they had not changed, she had. She did point her pencil at them once or twice, holding it like a wand and threatening to turn them into toads. But, for the most part, she had simply found her voice and their meddling had nearly ceased. Perhaps the wand had given her confidence.

Her efforts to keep her brothers at bay were also made pointless when they finally managed to get ahold of the game "Legends of Skythorpe" that had been so impossible to get for months. She didn't know how they managed it but a copy had arrived in the mail about a week after Dalia had gotten her wand. They were busily investigating the magical realm of the game while Dalia was learning all she could about the real magical world so their paths rarely crossed. By the time she was ready to leave home for the Potters' she was almost longing for their intrusions.

Karen had packed far too many suitcases for her daughter. Although Dalia wasn't a fussy girl (her brothers had seen to that), her mother had insisted that she carry everything from a first aid kit to a collection of linens. When Dalia protested that she thought the school might have bandages and sheets because they weren't on her supply list, her mother suddenly remembered the hair ornaments she'd bought and started rummaging around through the bags looking for a gap large enough to hold them all.

The morning was bright and warm. Zorro's carrying case lay with the 5 suitcases by the door. Dudley stayed home from work that morning to see his daughter off, although Dalia had the sneaking suspicion that her father had done so more for her mother's benefit than for her own. Karen cooked a large breakfast that Dalia had hardly touched. She seemed to think Dalia would starve, either in the Potters' care or at school.

Dalia was thinking about the next week and the months beyond. How would it be at Harry's and at Hogwarts? Would she find that she didn't have the magical talent required to be a witch? Would she ever feel at home in the wizarding world?

Just as her thoughts turned to whether or not dark wizards might rise again forcing her to inexpertly protect herself, there was a knock on the front door. Aunt Ginny and Lily were standing there smiling. They were invited in and offered tea before Dalia could say hello. Karen was attempting to make them comfortable, probably in the hopes that they would stay a while and delay Dalia's parting. Meanwhile, Dudley was trying to lighten his wife's mood without great success.

Ginny had explained that Harry was called in to work unexpectedly but that he would be home later that afternoon. He'd planned to take most of the week off to spend with the family before the kids started school.

Once they had finished their tea, Karen asked Dalia to take Lily upstairs to see her bedroom. Dalia did so reluctantly. She knew her mother would be treating her aunt to an extended diatribe about her daughter's care and needs.

Lily found Dalia's room fascinating. "My dad had a room like this when he was a kid." She told her cousin as she looked at Dalia's digital alarm clock. "And Grandpa Weasley is always talking about how muggles get by without magic. He's so funny."

Dalia wasn't sure what to say. However, soon she was standing in the foyer with a stack of suitcases, next to her aunt and cousin. She'd spent 10 minutes saying goodbye to her parents and brothers, assuring her mother that she would bathe regularly, brush her teeth, behave, study hard, and send daily owls. Her father's request was simpler. When he leaned over to give her a hug, he whispered that he trusted her to take care of all of the important things and that all he wanted from her was a promise to have fun. "Sure, Dad." she whispered back, hoping rather than intending to follow his request.

Dalia had Zorro's cage in one hand and a suitcase in the other. Ginny and Lily each had two suitcases. Then Ginny reached into her handbag and pulled out a lumpy drawstring bag. She gingerly opened the bag and turned its contents onto the little table next to the front door. Out fell a rubber duck. The Dursleys were perplexed. Before they could say anything, Ginny suggested that Dalia tuck a suitcase under her arm to leave a hand free as she and Lily had done. Dalia did as Ginny suggested.

"This is called a portkey. In about a minute it will activate and transport us. You have to be touching it—even just a fingertip—when it activates." Ginny explained.

Ginny, Lily, and Dalia all leaned over to touch the rubber duck. Dalia had just touched its tail when Karen began re-reminding her to take care of herself. As her mother called out "And don't forget to wash your bloomers!" Dalia felt herself being irresistibly pulled away.

She had thought she would simply disappear and reappear in a new location. Instead, she felt the sensation of being pulled from her naval and of traveling a great distance in a short period of time. It was unnerving. When she landed, harder than she'd hoped, in what looked like a large bedroom, the shock of what she felt immediately replaced all of her sense of disorientation. She'd toppled over. Though Lily was clutching a nearby table, she was still standing. Ginny seemed to have traveled this way often as she looked completely unruffled. If this was how wizards traveled, Dalia wasn't sure it was for her.

In front of her was a bed with a large, ornately carved frame, covered in a patchwork quilt. The wardrobe next to it was open and empty. There was also a writing desk with an ink well and a bookcase full of books with wizarding titles. Although the room appeared freshly painted and as clean as her fussy grandmother's apartment, Dalia felt like the place was ancient. She saw dappled light coming in through the window and the many trees beyond.

Ginny was placing the suitcases on the bed. "This is our guest room. The furniture in here are replicas of some antiques that belonged to Harry's father's family. Most of the house was destroyed in a freak tornado about 40 years ago so it's been a lot of work putting it back together over the years. There's plenty of room to put your things away but when you pack for school, I think I've got something you'll like better than suitcases." Ginny then excused herself and left Lily to help Dalia.

Lily let Zorro out of his cage and attempted to pet him but the cat scurried away, determined to explore the room.

The first thing Dalia unpacked was her wand. The first think she took out was her wand. Since wizarding law forbade magic use by the underage in muggle dwellings, she hadn't been able to use it at home. Dalia had locked it away into a drawer as soon as she got back from Diagon Alley. She was afraid she would either accidentally do something or else would be tempted to try some simple charms she'd read in a school book.

While Dalia carefully put away her wand box, Lily put away the contents of an entire suitcase. "I put your shirts in the wardrobe. You won't need to iron them. Mum put an anti-wrinkle charm on the whole wardrobe," she told Dalia.

Lily, it turned out, was very good at organizing things. She had the rest of Dalia's luggage open and half of her things put neatly away before Dalia could do more than assess the space she was given. Lily seemed quite at her ease doing this, so Dalia left her to it while she peered out the window into the wooded area beyond and asked questions.

"Where is this house, anyway?"

"Godric's Hollow, in the West Country. It's named for Godric Gryffindor, the founder of Gryffindor house at school."

"Why didn't anyone tell me about magic when I was younger?"

"My parents told us to keep that quiet. They say it's about the Statute of Secrecy but I don't know if that's the only reason."

Dalia wondered why everyone seemed worried about her knowing about magic. It didn't seem to be such a horrible thing. This reminded her of something.

"Do you know anything about your grandma Lily's death? My dad avoided my questions about it, like it's a secret or something."

Lily looked uncomfortable. She had finished unpacking and was arranging the empty suitcases, when she seemed unusually preoccupied by the zippers. "Well, you'll have to ask Dad. I don't think I know enough about it." Then she changed the subject. "How about we go on a tour of the house?"

That settled it for Dalia. There was some secret they were all keeping from her. However, she didn't want to push her cousin further and agreed to be shown around. She made a mental note to ask Harry as soon as she could.

Dalia found herself marveling at the Potter's home. Each room had several features that were strange and interesting. From the feeling of the first room, she thought the original structure must be a huge rambling farm house or something like a former church or rectory. However, it wasn't large enough to be either and, although the Potter's house was called Goodwood Cottage, it seemed larger than a cottage too. When she asked Lily about this, she was told that it had grown over the years. The small wooded area through the guestroom window was owned by the Potters. It contained a large field in which generations of wizard children had played, shielded from the neighbors by surrounding trees. Lily's aunt and uncle, Hermione and Ron, lived nearby but had gone away on their usual end-of-the-summer holiday to France.

There were four family bedrooms and the guest room had been added at the back recently. Cupboards and bookcases were everywhere, teaming with fantastic objects. Some of them held strange whirring devices or odd looking gadgets that Dalia could only guess the functions of. Now and then she caught site of some decorative objects with engravings of thank you intended for her Uncle Harry. When she asked her cousin about them, Lily simply said that her father's job in magical law enforcement had its perks.

One shelf in the wide hall held a large collection of trophies with Ginny's name engraved on them and figurines of women on brooms. This was one of the strangest sights since the figurines were simply suspended in the air over their engraved bases, with no obvious means of support. These, Lily explained, were from Ginny's days in the Quidditch league. Though Ginny no longer played the sport professionally, she worked as a Quidditch correspondent to the wizard daily newspaper, The Daily Prophet.

Lily's room was painted gold. She had a large four poster bed in the middle that had flowery draperies hanging around it. When Dalia's eyes caught sight of it, Lily sighed, "My parents got me that bed when I was three. It's far too frilly but I haven't asked them to change it."

Dalia was shocked to see a small desk in the corner which held a computer.

"But I thought electronic stuff didn't really work around magic?" she wondered.

"It doesn't but I've been reading about how Muggles communicate and it's really interesting. Dad says I must be some kind of magical engineer at heart. I just like to know how things work."

Dalia imagined that Lily must be good at making things too. Like the unpacking job she had done in the guest room, this room seemed very organized. The posters of what looked like wizard bands that decorated the walls were all evenly-spaced and perfectly straight.

The boys' rooms which they glimpsed on their way down the hall were a stark contrast to their sister's. An array of things that looked like sports equipment and dirty clothes tossed throughout them reminded Dalia of her own brothers' rooms.

Just when she thought her tour of the house was the most fantastic thing she had yet seen, Dalia saw the kitchen. There was a large fireplace holding a roaring fire which heated several simmering pots but didn't seem to add to the heat of the room. Everywhere, objects were busy preparing food or potions, repairing household goods, buzzing or humming. They did these things on their own, occasionally coaxed into action by Ginny.

Dalia sat down at the table in the middle of the room with her cousins to have lunch. The boys discussed Hogwarts, telling Dalia and Lily about the Halloween feast in the great hall, epic snowball fights with their friends on the grounds, and the amazing plants that grew in the Hogwarts greenhouse. Lily drank these stories up with as much interest as Dalia, as though she'd never heard them before.

"Harry should be home any time," said Ginny. "He's head of the Auror Department—one of the magical law enforcement branches of the Ministry. Unfortunately, that means he doesn't get that many real days off. If something goes haywire he gets called in."

When Harry arrived, just as they were finishing their meal, he was looking disheveled but perfectly cheerful. His hair was a mess and there was soot all over him. When Ginny pointed her wand at him and said "Scurgio" the soot vanished but his messy hair remained. He and Ginny took seats opposite their niece and daughter.

Once Harry sat down and Ginny caused a plate of food to fly over and land in front of him, he turned to Dalia and said "I'll bet you have a million questions."

"Well, yes I do. I just..." she stammered hopelessly. There was so much she wanted to ask.

"Don't know where to begin?"

"Yes. I haven't done anything magic in my whole life. Mum and Dad aren't magic. I just don't think you've got the right person." Dalia admitted.

"You think they've made some kind of mistake?"

"Yes." Dalia said dejectedly.

"One of the reasons muggle-born wizards don't realize they are magic is because they haven't been looking for it. They don't know magic really exists. What happens to them because of their magic might seem influenced by luck—good or bad. Winning or losing games more often than is normal could be magical interference. Like the earliest wizards, young wizards can't control their magic very well. They can make a lot of different things happen without realizing it. So it's hard to know where luck ends and magic begins."

Dalia could see Harry's point. The Ministry letter and the magical history book both seemed to confirm what he was saying. Magic was a lot more complicated than she had originally thought.

"Your visit to the wand shop," Harry anticipated her thoughts, "should help convince you. I've never seen a wand react so strongly when it found the right person."

"Really?" Dalia said hopefully.

"Absolutely. Mr. Ollivander likes to talk about my time buying a wand because the wand had been tried by generations of wizards before it found me. And James' wand sent a bouncing tickling charm off into Diagon Alley. But all of that was nothing compared to your wand. It actually seemed to glow when you first held it."

"It did? I didn't notice."

"The glow sort of spread over you," Lily told her. "And then when you switched hands, I was afraid the sparks would catch the whole place on fire."

Dalia's heart lightened at the thought and she finally realized that maybe she was magic after all. She didn't know what to think about her wand behaving so well at their first meeting. To her it wasn't important that her wand had behaved so remarkably. She just enjoyed the feeling of belonging to the wizarding world. It seemed amazing and frightening at the same time.

"You're probably wondering why your family didn't talk to you about the magical world for all of those years."

"Yes. Why the big secret? They didn't need to tell me I was a witch but why didn't they just tell us that you were a wizard?" She wondered if her parents, like her grandmother, wanted to keep this information from her and pretend that her uncle and his family were normal.

"I'm afraid that's my fault." said Harry, to Dalia's great shock.

"What?"

"I asked them to conceal it from all of you until you were older. I didn't know that any of their children would be magical and I didn't want to complicate your lives. Your father kept the secret himself and I think it must have been a burden for him. Childhood is hard enough. The magical world is a complicated place. No more so than the muggle world, I suppose, but consider how it is for children to grasp. Growing up, you are learning about how the muggle world works. And trying to understand the wizarding world on top of it makes hard. Once they received the Ministry's letter about you, it was their choice to keep the information from you until they thought you were ready but I feel like my request is probably what got the ball rolling."

Dalia understood what he was saying. But, really, it did seem like they all had been underestimating her and her brothers. None of them had been particularly young for several years. It didn't seem right that they be kept in the dark until recently.

"Dalia was about to continue with more questions when Ginny spoke. "Harry?" she said, a meaningful look in her eyes.

"I know what you're going to say, Ginny, and I'm not sure it's time for all of that."

"It's going to happen anyway. It's better that we tell her the rest. In a week she'll be at Hogwarts and she's got to know. I know you never liked the feeling that people held out on _you_."

Harry sighed heavily, obviously defeated. "You're right, of course," he resigned.

Dalia felt like she had only a few weeks ago when her parents had their cryptic conversation in the kitchen on Privet Drive. She bit her lip wondering if there was going to be another huge revelation coming.

"Boooring!" said James suddenly.

"Then leave," said Lily, crossing her arms. Dalia had nearly forgotten the rest of the Potter children were in the room.

"Fine. Come on Al. You can play keeper." And they trudged out the back door.

Ginny sighed and then continued, this time to Dalia. "So how much did you read in your magical primer?"

"I finished it."

"Didn't anything about it seem odd?"

"Well, yes, actually. The last part seemed weird. There were missing pictures and it looked different from the rest of it."

"That's because I changed it. It wasn't the best alteration but it was a bit of a rush job." Ginny confessed.

Harry and Ginny took turns explaining the alterations that Ginny had made. These changes had to do with the dark wizard Voldemort. Voldemort, it turned out, had once been an ordinary wizard named Tom Riddle. His witch mother had died after his birth and his muggle father had abandoned them before Tom was born. He'd grown up in an orphanage in London and had no idea he was a wizard. As the Ministry letter had warned could happen, Tom learned to use magic to manipulate and bully other children. Because he didn't know about the magical world, he assumed that his "special" talents gave him providence over others.

When he was 11, he got an invitation to attend Hogwarts. Once he began school there, he learned as much as he could about the wizarding world and secretly studied the dark arts. Tom Riddle had taken on the persona of Voldemort before leaving school. He had quite a few followers from his days at Hogwarts and his talent for manipulating people enabled him to recruit many more. These witches and wizards had hoped to share power with him. But Voldemort didn't have any real friends or emotional attachments. He managed to gain a considerable following in Britain and was about to reach into other areas of Europe when he'd heard a prophesy that a wizarding child would defeat him. He set out to destroy the child—Harry.

Dalia gasped out loud when her uncle confessed, rather matter-of-factly that he had been Voldemort's object. When the Potter's defenses were breeched, he explained, his parents were destroyed. He did not go into detail, but Dalia had remembered her reading and knew that when he turned his wand onto Harry, the curse he had used to murder James and Lily Potter reflected off their son and hit Voldemort instead. Then Harry showed his faint scar, a lightening bolt on his forehead, that was evidence of the attack.

"Albus Dumbledore, who was headmaster at Hogwarts at the time, had me rescued and sent me to live with your grandparents, away from the magical world." He told her.

Harry and Ginny continued to take turns explaining that Voldemort wasn't utterly destroyed. At the time it wasn't known that he had used the dark arts to rip his soul into many pieces, hiding them in magical artifacts which had to be destroyed in order to make Voldemort vulnerable enough to die. This was a journey that Harry, as the lucky survivor and the boy indicated in the prophesy, had to take in order to free himself of the burdens of the prophesy and free his future from the taint of Voldemort's aspirations. Ron and Hermione, too, had risked their lives to aid him in his quest. Their friends Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny herself led a resistance movement against Voldemort at Hogwarts where he had already gained control after killing Dumbledore.

One of the artifacts, a ring, was destroyed by Professor Dumbledore about a year before his death. It was Dumbledore's belief that Voldemort was hiding parts of his soul by creating magical devices called horcruxes out of objects. However, as he hadn't confided this to anyone before dying, nobody knew this for certain. Dumbledore risked his life to destroy the ring and test the horcrux theory. While Dumbledore was right and managed to destroy the first of seven horcruxes, he was the victim of a lingering curse in the ring that would have eventually led to his death.

Once Harry, Ron, and Hermione discovered that Voldemort was employing not just one but seven horcruxes, they had the keys to Voldemort's final destruction. They needed to find all of the pieces of Voldemort's soul to destroy him, which meant that the effort would fail if anyone could keep just one of them from their reach. So they too kept this information quiet as they collected and destroyed the pieces, one by one. In so doing, they stripped Voldemort down to a mere mortal, vulnerable to death.

"It was Neville, Professor Longbottom to you, who destroyed the seventh horcrux." Ginny pointed out.

In the end it wasn't just Harry, but a deluge of young witches and wizards and a number of defiant adult wizards that had destroyed Voldemort's forces, depriving them of one last chance to take over the wizarding world. Many had died, including Ginny's brother, Fred, who was George's identical twin. Since then, Harry was the most famous wizard the world over. This was why so many people knew him and why they greeted him with such reverence. As Harry explained, it wasn't anything he did but the expectations of others and Voldemort's reliance on the prophesy that had built him up and made him into the "chosen one" who was destined to destroy Voldemort.

"Of course Voldemort was deluded and overconfident. His destruction was a very long time coming. It was luck and some very good guesswork that did it. People think I destroyed him but it wasn't really me—it was my mother's love and Voldemort's own mistakes that did it. I just happened to be a part of Voldemort's biggest mistake."

It was silent in the kitchen. Even the noise of the frantically bubbling pots and whirring gadgets seemed to quiet as the story was finished.

"Harry was very brave and clever, actually." Ginny commented. "He did have help but he has to take some of the credit."

Harry continued "When Voldemort finally fell, everyone was relieved. They celebrated their freedom for several years. Finally, people started questioning how he managed to gain so much power two times over. They wanted to know how someone like Voldemort could be stopped before he became dangerous. That's when the Ministry of Magic started paying attention to young muggle-born wizards and witches. They knew that unchecked powers contributed to Voldemort's overconfidence early on. Now we are careful so nobody will slip through the cracks."

"That's why my parents got that letter from the Ministry?"

"Yes. They didn't do that in my day. Your grandmother had no concept of how to deal with raising a magical child. Of course, being a witch or wizard is usually expected of children whose parents are magical but your grandma didn't have any way of knowing what my future would hold. If a Muggle Liason officer had been able to talk with my aunt and uncle about magic use, it might have been easier on all concerned. If Voldemort's caregivers at the orphanage had known and the Ministry had intervened...he might have had his aspirations squelched early on. A little knowledge can go a long way, as Hermione puts it."

"Actually, stronger measures will be starting soon, isn't that right?" Ginny asked her husband.

"That's right. There was an incident in which muggle-born triplets had been bullying the children at a primary school in France by magical means. One boy nearly died from a bloody nose that wouldn't quit. Since then, the Ministry has been developing a charm that can be cast in a large area and will effectively prevent any magic that's not being done with a wand. This stops those without a magical education from being able to perform magic."

"So they could cast it at those kids' school and the triplets couldn't use magic to hurt the other kids?" Lily asked.

"That's right," Harry answered.

"But all they would need is a wand, right?" Dalia wanted to know.

"That's true but you can't buy a wand unless you are attending a magical school or are a qualified witch or wizard. Mr. Ollivander keeps a list and is very careful about who buys his wands. If wands are kept out of the wrong people's hands, only those who are of age to learn or perform magic will be able to. So this new measure is something a lot of people are very pleased to see go into effect." Harry's voice was measured.

"I don't know if that's maybe going too far." said Ginny.

"The minister believes that it's in everybody's best interest." said Harry, "But I've wondered that myself. It becomes difficult when you take away freedom in the name of freedom. Hermione has been fighting it from the beginning but the support for it is just too strong."

Just then James and Al thundered into the kitchen, covered in dirt, with broomsticks in their hands. Al was sporting a black eye and James was apologizing profusely. "I didn't mean it to hit him in the eye. I just went overboard with the bat." He was saying to his disbelieving parents.

Ginny took Al aside and rubbed some kind of cream on his eye causing his bruise to disappear. Meanwhile Harry gave James a lecture on the importance of keeping something called bludgers in control. "Or they might end up on muggle property." Harry finished while Lily giggled quietly.

The intense conversation the girls had been having with Harry and Ginny seemed to have dissipated as James and Al rejoined everyone at the table. Dalia, who didn't totally understand Quidditch was somewhat puzzled at their talk of bats and bludgers. When she said so, the Potters explained the game to Dalia who tried her best to follow. Then the boys offered to teach Dalia how to ride a broom and they all spent a few hours enjoying the sun in the large field that was hidden in the wood behind the Potter's house. It took Dalia a while to get the hang of mounting and dismounting her broom. Once she did, she didn't venture very far in the air.

Next, the two girls took a stroll through town. Lily was excited to show her the secret little pockets of magic that existed there. Godric's Hollow was home to a great many wizards. However, it was also a muggle settlement and had to appear as such. Dalia thought that the wizard monuments prominent in the center of town must have been a giveaway.

In fact, when they first walked out of the house, Dalia was shocked to see a memorial to Harry's parents out on the street. It was a statue depicting the couple with their infant son, Harry.

"The muggles can't see them," her cousin explained, "All they see is a muggle monument. Only wizards can see the magical one."

As they walked the streets and saw more magical relics, Dalia wondered if it was possible that even muggles wouldn't notice something strange about them. She thought, had she been slightly more suspicious before learning about the magical world, she might have guessed that there was more to the Potters than that they were a little unusual. "So the muggles don't know their neighbors are wizards?"

"Nope. We're supposed to hide our magic," but seeing the unbelieving look on Dalia's face she added, "but I think they must know there is something strange about this place. Mum says it's a new-age tourist spot because there are a lot of muggles who come here looking for spiritual shops, new-age book stores, and that kind of thing. There is even a muggle palm reader in town."

"So muggles come here to visit?"

"Not just them. Lots of famous witches and wizards have lived here so wizards like to visit here too."

"I'll bet they all want to visit your house."

"Yes. But they don't get to see much of it. Mum opens it up one weekend during the summer each year and that's it. It's a lot of trouble because Mum has to pack away a lot of things. And she has to cast impervious charms and immobility charms over everything else so people can't touch things or walk away with them."

When they arrived back at the cottage, they carried a small block of cheese and some fruit from the local market that Ginny had asked them to buy. Nestor had arrived during their absence, carrying a brand new toothbrush and a note reminding Dalia to do her washing.

Dalia sent her parents a return owl telling them all about the house and the broom riding lessons she'd taken. She was sure to mention that she had only been a few feet off the ground—no more than when riding a bicycle. She knew her mother would worry. Of course, she intended to go higher next time but she thought she should sake, take things slowly. She didn't want to get hurt-from using magical items no less-just a week before starting school.

Harry and Ginny told the children that they would be traveling to Grimauld Place the following day. This caused a great deal of excitement. Grimauld Place, Lily told Ginny, was where her grandparents lived. It was a large rambling house in London with lots of rooms. Harry had inherited it from his godfather but he preferred to rebuild his parents' house and offered the enormous home to the Weasleys who had six living children and eleven grandchildren. It was very large and so accommodated their many family guests comfortably. Every time they went there, Lily's grandmother talked them into staying over. That night was Lily's grandfather's birthday and they expected, not only Rose and Hugo, who would be back from their trip, but a whole host of cousins.

"You're going to meet half of the population of Hogwarts," Lily told her.

She grew nervous at the thought. Lily's aunts, uncles and cousins were a large and varied lot, she was promised. Her uncle Charlie lived in Romania where he ran a dragon sanctuary that housed native dragons from around the world. Many of the Weasleys were employed at the Ministry of Magic, however.

She had a lot to think about as she drifted off to sleep that night. This house was the one that Voldemort had invaded and destroyed trying to murder Harry. She shuddered at the thought. She was grateful that she could grow up in a world free of the domination of this dark wizard. She was sure that Voldemort wouldn't have limited his control to just the magical world. Dalia considered sneaking off to her cousin's room for company. She thought it would be nice to know another person was nearby. This was where it happened...Harry's parents' deaths, Volemort's exile. However, she was too tired to move and drifted off into an uneasy sleep. Despite this, her dreams were untroubled.


	4. Grimauld Place

Chapter 4: Grimauld Place

When Dalia woke up the next day, it was to the sound of James and Al running past her door. James was apparently pursuing Al whom he seemed to think had stolen his hat and was shouting accusations at him. The boys' yelling and rough-housing in the hall reminded her of home. Dalia climbed out of bed, put on her dressing gown, and left her room. When she arrived in the kitchen it was to hear Ginny shouting down James' accusation of his brother. The hat, which Ginny had found under a pile of James' laundry earlier that morning, had been confiscated until James had straightened his room.

Ginny set a large plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of Dalia. She enjoyed her breakfast, listening to her aunt and uncle discussing articles from the day's paper and to her cousins as they talked about their plans.

When they had finished their breakfast Ginny asked Dalia and each of her children to pack an overnight bag because they would be staying the night at Grimauld Place. Dalia went with Lily to her room where her cousin hurriedly assembled her overnight bag. Then the two went to the guest room so Dalia could pack her bag.

"Why don't we just come back after dinner?" asked Dalia.

"It's not just us. It's my aunts and uncles and cousins too. We do this every year before school starts. It's like a family reunion." Lily seemed to sense Dalia's nervousness because she added, "I know it seems like a lot of people but don't worry, my gran will want to adopt you, just you wait."

Dalia selected the smallest pink suitcase and began to select things to put into it.

"Do you think I'll need my wand?" Dalia asked her cousin, "Or is it silly to bring it when I can't even use it yet?"

"Bring it." Lily told her. "You'll want to get used to having it with you all the times. For wizards, having a wand with you is like having your head with you. You don't really do anything without it."

Dalia laughed and imagined leaving her head behind when she was shopping and having to go back home to get it so she could remember how to count out money.

Lily seemed to be examining the furniture carefully as Dalia shoved things into her suitcase. Dalia thought it was strange that Lily should not be perfectly familiar with this room and its contents since it was a part of her family's house.

"I love the carving on these wardrobe doors." Lily was saying, "I can just imagine them the doors to an undiscovered kingdom."

"It really is nice in here. It feels ancient. Not like my bedroom at home with all of that flat pack furniture. I think a strong wind would knock over that stuff."

"Mum only finished this room a few days before you arrived. I know it doesn't look like it but it's a recent addition. She spent years gathering pictures of the inside of this house from friends of my dad's parents. She had reproductions of the furniture made and did some of the work herself. She got pretty good at it after a while. The wardrobe doors were the hardest. The picture wasn't all that clear but Hugo helped her fill in the blurry parts of the original carving. She wanted it to be like Voldemort never came here."

"It's crazy that he blasted the house apart just to get to a baby."

"He didn't destroy the house to get to Dad," Lily said absentmindedly as she examined a vase containing daisies.

"What do you mean?" Dalia wanted to know.

Lily stopped gazing at the vase, looked down, sighed, and said "I guess it's ok if we talk about it. I mean, we weren't supposed to before – before you knew."

Dalia had wondered about this. She hoped this meant that Lily would be more forthcoming now that it had all been explained. She was her cousin, after all, and they were family. Now that she had entered the magical world, she thought it was about time the secrets stopped.

"Well," Lily began and her confidence seemed to build. "He did some damage blasting things when my grandpa tried to duck out of the way. Voldemort, I mean. Mostly, it was his spell bouncing off Dad that caused the damage."

Dalia gasped.

"Can you imagine?" asked Lily.

Dalia couldn't imagine. She was about to say so when there was a knock on the door. Dalia beckoned the visitor inside. It was Ginny.

"I'm glad to see that you two are packed at least. Getting the boys packed is always a nightmare. I just wanted to let you know. Dalia, you've got another owl.

"Oh. I'm sorry mum's being so weird about everything," Dalia apologized.

"It's quite alright. She's your mother. She's supposed to worry. A word of advice from another mother: make sure you write at least as often as she does. It won't do any good to have your parents worried more than is necessary."

"It's not necessary. It's just Mum." Dalia mumbled but she wasn't sure her aunt had heard her.

Ginny left the room and shouted something down the hall toward the boys' rooms. Dalia read her letter, which was simply a note from her mother saying hello once more and reminding her to listen to Harry and Ginny and to make sure she didn't forget any of her things there when she left for school. Dalia dashed off a quick reply. She had just about tied it to an obliging owl which had flown in through the bedroom window, when she realized that she would be staying in London that night. So she hastily added a postscript updating her parents about this.

Once the boys had finally packed their overnight bags, it was time for lunch. After the plates had been cleared and cleaned, the Potters and Dalia were all assembled in the sitting room where a roaring fire was blazing away in the fireplace.

"Fluo powder, you three." Ginny told her children, and, turning to Dalia she said, "That's for traveling by fire."

"Won't we get burned?" Dalia blurted out, realizing the answer immediately.

Ginny laughed. "They will be traveling by fire, Dalia, I'll be taking you by side along apparition." Ginny told her gently.

"Will it be like...the duck?"

"No, side along apparition is much smoother."

"Your stomach shouldn't even need to settle before dinner. Molly, Ginny's mother, is a fantastic cook." Harry told her.

Ginny instructed Dalia to hold onto her hand. As soon as she had done so Dalia felt herself compress tightly before quickly disappearing and then reappearing. The sensation was more like reinflating but it wasn't as disorienting as the portkey had been.

Dalia found herself in a large sitting room with enormous drapery-lined windows, several sofas and a large collection of wizard pictures on the striped papered walls. Many of the subjects of these photos, she noticed, had red hair. James, Al, Lily, Rose, Hugo, Fred, and Roxanne's pictures were among them. In the middle of all of these was the largest picture of all. Its subjects were a beautiful young woman with red-blonde hair and the fairest skin she'd ever seen. She was standing alongside a young man with short spiked hair that transitioned from brown at the roots to cherry red at the tips. Both of them looked delighted to be in the company of the other. They smiled serenely, looking at each other, then the camera, then back at each other, scrunching up their noses.

The room was well-lit, with natural sunlight blazing in through the windows, whose curtains had been pulled aside. Beyond the window, Dalia saw a dingy London street. The air was perfumed with the scent of a large array of food.

When Dalia turned around, she couldn't help but notice an enormous stone fireplace and saw, to her surprise, that Lily was emerging from it, smiling. Lily's hair and clothes were covered in a smattering of soot which her mother removed with a cry of "Scurgio!" Then James and Al emerged from the fireplace, one after the other. James was holding a large wrapped gift when he came through. Finally, Harry popped into view. This, she thought, must have been him apparating into the house.

Just as Ginny and Harry were finished performing the cleaning spells on the boys, a woman came into the room. She was a short, slightly heavy woman with graying hair, and a pair of half-spectacles perched on her nose. "Ginny! Harry! Children!" she cried giving out random hugs to anyone within her reach.

Dalia was caught up with Lily in one of the many-armed hugs. Dalia was surprised but a little pleased at how easily she was welcomed.

"Mum," Ginny said, her voice slightly muffled because her face was wedged firmly into the woman's shoulder, "I need to introduce you to Dalia."

"Dalia, how lovely to meet you!" the woman said, giving her a quick hug.

"Dalia, this is my mum, Molly Weasley."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Weasley."

"Bah, just call me Gran, dear."

Molly Weasley was not like the grandmother Dalia knew. Dalia's only living grandmother was Petunia Dursley, her father's mother. Her Grandma Petunia was an austere woman, fussy about cleanliness and proper presentation. She was generous to Dalia and her brothers, often buying them expensive gifts and always rewarding them with money for merely paying her a visit. But the thought of hugging her grandchildren for no reason other than excitement to see them, wasn't something she imagined her grandmother would do.

"I sent Dad out to get a few last minute things for the party, he should be back any time." Molly told them all.

"What's for dinner, Gran? It smells great!" James asked.

"Oh a little of this and a little of that," Molly said absentmindedly, "I'm sure you'll find something you like."

Ginny led Dalia and Lily upstairs where they saw many doors to many rooms. Ginny showed them the first door on their left and indicated that this was to be theirs. When they went inside to put their things away, Dalia noticed three beds in this room. There was a single bed and a pair of bunk beds. A small leather bag sat atop the single bed. Lily claimed the top bunk, and carefully hefted her bag onto it. Dalia dropped her suitcase onto the bottom bunk. They didn't have time to do anything else before she and Lily were called back downstairs.

Lily led the way to the kitchen where a large group of people were all settled around a long table in the basement kitchen. This room reminded Dalia of a somewhat larger version of the Potter's kitchen, though it had none of the long, low windows of the cottage. Dalia was introduced to Ginny's brother, Percy, his wife, Audrey, and his children, Lucy and Molly. Percy was red-haired but balding. He seemed to be one of the taller Weasley brothers. Audrey was a tiny blonde witch, quick to smile, who hugged Dalia upon their meeting, much like Mrs. Weasley.

Lucy, who was small, like her mother, wore her blonde hair in a pixie cut. She was close to Dalia and Lily's age and, as Dalia learned, had started at Hogwarts only the previous year. Molly was another red-head. She was taller than Lucy by a considerable margin and wore her hair in a long plait that fell to the middle of her back. Her demeanor reminded Dalia of Lily's cousin, Rose. She had a book under her arm wherever she went and pulled it out when conversations grew long. However, Molly wasn't just reading, she was writing in this book.

"You two are in the room with me. Gran said so when we first arrived." Lucy told Lily and Dalia. "I'm sorry I'm leaving you two with the bunk beds but I don't want to disturb anyone."

"Lucy doesn't sleep a lot," Lily explained. "It's like a kind of insomnia. She just doesn't need as much sleep as…" Lily trailed off.

"Normal people." Lucy added with a grin. "The girls in my year at Hogwarts aren't that fond of sharing a room with me but I keep quiet. It's good practice for when I'm an auror."

Wanting to think of something to say Dalia asked, "Which house are you in?"

"Gryffindor. Lots of the Weasleys are in Gryffindor but not everyone."

"Dominique was in Ravenclaw and so are Molly, and Rose," Lily told her. "That's where all of the brainiacs go. I'm not saying nobody else is smart but academics are their kind of thing. Dominique is studying psychology in a muggle university right now so you won't get a chance to meet her."

"Victoire was a Hufflepuff and so is Louis," Lucy added. "The Hufflepuff kids are good people to know. Lots of people say they are the leftover kids, after the others are chosen, but they are just really flexible. The only house that none of us are in is Slytherin."

This wasn't the first time Dalia had heard about Slytherin's house reputation but the fact that none of the Weasleys were in it made it sound even worse. Her primer had told her that Slytherin house members tended to be people who were extremely determined. This didn't sound so bad but, from what she was hearing, it must have been the kindest thing that could be said about its members.

Lucy and Lily took Dalia on a tour of the house. "This used to be the Black family estate," Lucy explained. "The Blacks were a really old wizard family. They've almost all died-out now. Harry's godfather was Sirius Black and he inherited this place from him. But when he fixed-up Goodwood, he offered it to my grandparents. It sleeps the entire Weasley family and guests."

"One of the only Blacks left is Teddy Lupin. He married to our cousin, Victoire, a few months ago. You'll meet them later." Lily told her.

Grimauld Place was huge with many formal rooms. Dalia imagined that, based on its size and apparent age, it had probably once been furnished ornately. But it was more casual today. This, Dalia thought, must have been because there were so many Weasleys. There was simply no way for them all to dress for dinner and seated around the same table, let alone sit around in frilly clothes on fancy furniture.

Near the main floor landing, Lucy pointed to a wall that jutted out a little more than the wall next to it. "Behind that section of wall is a cursed picture. Dad says that it's magically stuck there and can't be taken down. It used to scream and cry but they managed to silence it. Since they didn't like the dirty looks the woman in it used to give, they just built a wall around it.

"Once," Lily added, "James got in trouble for trying to cut a small hole in the wall to get a peek behind it."

In another room off the main entry, there was a large, sprawling Weasley family tree. She saw all of the children of Molly and Arthur Weasley but there were also select branches with cousins. She found Harry, married to Ginny and their children and only just realized how large the group was. There were some names with broken wands next to them. Lucy explained that these were family members who had died. She saw Molly, their gran, on here with her maiden name, Prewett. On the lines next to her, extending down from her parents were two men, Gideon and Fabian, both with broken wands. She also spotted Fred, George's twin, with a broken wand.

"There used to be a Black family tree here. It's still here, underneath this one. We are distantly related to them. But many of them were corrupt, so this tree replaced it with only the nearest members on it. See, Teddy Lupin married to Victoire?"

She did indeed see Teddy. She saw that he was an only child. And on the lines above his, indicating his parents, were two broken wands.

"Teddy's dad, Remus, was a good friend of Harry's dad. His mother, Dora Tonks, was the daughter of Andromeda Black. They've added her and her husband, because she was one of the good ones and she is now closely connected by marriage. But most of the rest of her family are covered up. Andromeda still visits from time to time. She raised Teddy and he is the only family she has left."

"Until they start having babies," added Lily.

After a while, they left the gloomy tree which showed just how extensive the family's losses were to Voldemort. Lucy and Lily had gone through all of the generations, pointing out the broken wands and saying how each died. The name Voldemort was repeated again and again. Hearing about these losses really brought to life the impact of his reign of power.

As they ascended the stairs through the levels, Dalia lost count of how many bedrooms the place had. They tramped through the four floors and the attic. Each floor's walls were lined with photos that moved. Most were pictures of the many Weasley grandchildren at various ages. There were also several drawings, done by Hugo, that graced the frames along the way.

They visited a room on the third floor that seemed to be a sort of shrine to Fred Weasley, Lily's uncle who had died when Voldemort fought his final battle at Hogwarts.

They even ventured into the attic which had been turned into a sort of dormitory that several of the younger boys stayed in. Five low beds lined one long wall opposite a pair of windows. The girls could glimpse much of London from up here because the house stood at least a story higher than its neighbors. This, she learned, was because magical means concealed it from muggle eyes so they could do anything they wanted with it – build it with as many floors as necessary.

Once they had finished their tour going up the stairs and were two floors down from the top, they found their progress impeded by the couple Dalia had seen in the large sitting room picture.

"Victoire! Teddy!" Lily squealed as she ran toward the couple and hugged them.

Lucy also beamed at the sight of them. "Vicky and Teddy, this is Dalia. She's Lily's cousin on Harry's side."

The two greeted her enthusiastically.

The three girls left the couple, who was going upstairs, to return to the main floor. When they arrived there, Dalia found it was buzzing with chatter and even more people. Before long Dalia had met Victoire's parents: Ginny's oldest brother, Bill, and his wife, Fleur. Fleur spoke with a heavy French accent but her English was excellent. Although Bill smiled widely, Dalia noticed that his face was liberally scarred and remembered the story of his attack by Voldemort's forces that had been briefly described to her. There were still vestiges of his handsome face beneath the scars. Fleur was very beautiful and Dalia was taken aback by her sophisticatedly twisted and arranged golden hair and fair, smooth skin.

Dominque, she learned, was Bill and Fleur's youngest daughter and she was away at university so Dalia wouldn't be meeting her. However, once back in the sitting room, she was introduced her brother, Louis, a Hogwarts sixth-year who was playing piano and didn't seem to want to stop. Louis looked like a Weasley with red hair and a slightly ruddy complexion.

Dalia also met Ginny's brother, Charlie, and his partner Traian Nastase. Charlie was red-haired, like the rest of the Weasleys but looked powerfully built – probably because he worked with dragons. Traian, who Dalia was told was a wizard doctor called a healer, was a handsome man with a thick Romanian accent. His long, dark hair hung loosely and he had a casual but elegant appearance.

"You'd better get used to seeing them," Lily said with excitement. "They are both starting jobs at Hogwarts this year."

"Really? What jobs are you taking?" Dalia wanted to know.

"I'm the new gamekeeper," said Charlie. "Hagrid, the old gamekeeper is still there. He's been at it a while. He's been teaching magical creatures classes which were taking up a lot of his time. Recent exhibitions have yielded so many zoological discoveries – magical creatures that we thought were only myth. It's been exciting and the students all seem to want to know more."

"And I am the new healer." Traian admitted.

"At least I won't be the only new one starting there this year," said Dalia, and the others laughed.

Before long, Arthur Weasley had arrived at the house, his arms full of shopping bags.

Once he'd been given a cup of tea and was seated in a particularly fluffy armchair, Dalia was conveyed through the crowd to meet him. He greeted her as enthusiastically as his wife and with even more curiosity.

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Weasley." Dalia offered politely.

"Thank you very much, Dalia. You can call me Arthur."

"Just call him Pops," said Lucy.

"That's perfectly fine as well," he said giving a smiling nod in Lucy's direction. "So you've been living with muggles your whole life then, eh?"

"Pops, she's muggle born." Lily giggled.

"So she is. So she is. Well, you'll have to tell me all about it sometime."

"Pops is into all things muggle." Lily said. "He's been teaching me about electricity."

"It's all very simple, once you know the rules." Arthur pointed out.

Dalia disengaged at Lily's suggestion because there were more people coming down from the upper floors to greet their progenitor. "Actually, he's not really that familiar with the rules. But I let him think he's teaching me." Lily whispered to Dalia.

Everywhere on the main floor seemed to have become crowded. There were so many people, Dalia was starting to forget names and who was related to who and how. But she didn't have to mingle long, since Gran called out that dinner was almost ready.

When they all sat down to eat, it took several rooms full of tables to seat everyone. Dalia chose a seat next to Lily and across from Albus and Hugo who, Dalia noticed, seemed to get along better with Albus than James did. She sat eating and listening to the conversations that flowed around her, not contributing very much but feeling like she was learning a lot, both about the wizarding world and about the other Weasley cousins who seemed to regard her as part of their very own family.

She was overwhelmed but tried not to show it. Here, gathered around her, were people with whom she shared the gift of magic. It was exactly as her father had told her. And at that moment she felt a little sad for him, that he should have sat on the sidelines while the magical world swirled around him, with him having been forbidden to observe it.

By the time the cake had been served, Dalia was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. When everyone was finished and the many gifts, most of them containing muggle curiosities, had been opened she shuffled off to bed with her cousin Lily. She was asleep almost at once and didn't even notice when Lucy arrived.


	5. The Wandless Ward

Chapter 5: The Wandless Ward

In the morning Dalia was awoken by Lily and Lucy who urged her to put on a dressing gown so they could all go down to breakfast. As they arrived in the kitchen, Dalia heard others talking. When she looked at Lily, perplexed, Lily told her it was the Wizarding Wireless Network's morning news show playing in the background. Molly, Ginny, and Traian were bustling around making food while they listened.

"In an unexpected twist, Cecil Morgan, the wizard famous for bringing us The Wandless Ward, a magic repelling charm that prevents magic use by those without a wand, has released another statement criticizing the ward's use as a security measure. Morgan is particularly vociferous about its use around children who might not otherwise know they are magic. _It's part of the rite of passage for all magic children, muggle-born or not_, _to discover their magic_, he is quoted as saying at a press conference this morning."

"Isn't that what you were talking about before with Uncle Harry?" Dalia asked her aunt during the commercial for broomstick wax that followed.

"That's right. Cecil Morgan developed The Wandless Ward for magical law enforcement. He intended it to be used by the Ministry in Azkaban, the wizard prison."

"It used to be managed by these soul-sucking shadow beasts," said Lily.

"They're called dementors," she corrected her daughter before continuing. "But with the downfall of Voldemort, the dementors fled. Azkaban fell under ministry control. At first, they simply unwanded the wizard prisoners and used a variety of spells and charms to keep them locked in. But wizards can be clever. Escape attempts happened regularly. It had never been like that before."

"From what I understand, the dementors kept the prisoners complacent," Traian explained carefully in heavily accented English. "Because dementors feed on happiness and hope, prisoners could only think of bad memories. Any hope they had was literally sucked out of them."

"In the decades since the dementors left, the prison has become very different," Ginny explained. "The dementors meant that there were very few security measures necessary. What's the point when the humans are locked in their own minds?"

Dalia tried to imagine not being able to think of anything happy. It seemed like the worst punishment possible.

Ginny continued as she conducted the turning of the frying bacon with her wand, "When the ward was put into place a few years ago, it worked pretty well. Escape attempts went down and the ministry had an easier time policing the place. But there was an unexpected side effect. The wizards began experimenting and learning to use magic without their wands."

"Some of those wizards got pretty good at it too," added Traian who was now buttering a large stack of toast. He used his wand to wipe the toasted bread over the butter which melted as it went.

"The idea of performing magic without wands has sort of caught on," Ginny said as she and Mrs. Weasley loaded three plates with food and presented them to the girls. "It spawned a new movement in the wizarding community. Those who advocate the study of magic without wands organized and formed a group. They call themselves Wizards without Wands."

"Those hippie wizards?" asked Lily.

"We studied about them in school," said Lucy. "They think that wands are used too much and are artificial. They think that if wizards only learn how to perform magic with wands, they can't ever use their powers any other way. So, to them, wands are a bad thing because now most wizards don't know how to perform any magic without them."

"I still don't understand. How can you do magic without a wand? Isn't it required?" asked Dalia.

"Well, it's like when children accidentally do magic before they are school age." Traian chimed in with his slow and measured voice. "But sometimes a young wizard can get quite good at it and learn some magical control without their wand. Voldemort did before he was admitted to Hogwarts."

Dalia hadn't thought of that. Then she remembered the letter her parents received and the part about how magical ability could be honed by young children training or wands. There were also parts of her primer talking about ancient wizard history before wands and spells were developed. The idea of wandless magic suddenly made more sense to her.

It was Lily who brought the topic full circle. "But on the news…why is this Cecil Morgan against using the charm at all? Is it dangerous?"

"He's angry because the Ministry began using the charm in different ways and he doesn't approve. He's worried that it could be used to prevent magic use in general. Now he wants it banned. And, no the ward itself isn't actually dangerous," Ginny sighed. "Wizards just don't like to feel as though they can't use magic."

"If it keeps people safe," added Gran who had remained strangely quiet until that point, "it probably isn't doing anybody harm."

Dalia thought Lily's Gran was right. She wasn't really a part of the wizard world yet but, from what she had read and heard, it seemed like safety should be top of the priority list.

But Ginny didn't seem to agree. "Mum, wands aren't just weapons; they're tools, like your fires. How would you feel if someone came in and blocked your fire because you might burn something? I know you are concerned about safety but this is about wizard civil rights," she exclaimed, a bit more loudly than was necessary.

"How can anyone have rights when their safety is at risk?" said Gran.

"Mum, I know your heart is in the right place and that people are still afraid. But Voldemort isn't in power any more. He can't come back this time. The ministry has other means to keep magic in check. The Wandless Ward makes it far too easy for them to apply restrictions with a wide brush." And she turned to the three girls, "As you can see, it's a complicated issue without an easy answer."

"I heard that Cecil Morgan is now partnering with Wizards without Wands," Traian added.

"That's right." Ginny said dishearteningly.

Dalia was perplexed. "So this man who made it so wizards can only do magic with wands is friends with the people who only want to perform magic without them?"

"Yes. It seems that he's taking a different stance now that this charm is in widespread use," Ginny pointed out. "He doesn't want to see it used at all so he's put his support behind the movement that counteracts his own invention."

"That's totally mixed-up," Lily thought aloud.

Dalia thought so too. Until now, she thought her entry into the wizarding world was mostly about learning to use magic. Now she realized that it also included what her parents would call politics.

She was used to people disagreeing over government regulations because it came up a lot on television programs. Even in the muggle world, people would get very angry. Sometimes they would even say things they didn't really mean, just for a chance to win an argument. Her father, in his carefully dispensed wisdom, had once told her that people had trouble with ideas that shook up their world view, especially when their world view was very limited.

Her parents didn't often discuss politics at home. Her mother thought that children should be taught everything they could learn before they should form opinions about it. This was probably because she was a teacher. It was a good philosophy when working with young children but Dalia disagreed and thought that, once children were old enough to look after themselves, they should be able to take part in discussions. Her father said that was fine, as long as everyone involved was prepared to admit they were wrong from time to time.

Soon, others were piling into the kitchen to have their breakfasts and the conversation turned to food. The three girls finished their breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast, then headed upstairs to get dressed. Afterward, they went into the drawing room to play games. They were soon joined by Hugo and Albus.

Dalia learned to play Gobstones, which was like muggle marbles except the round stones would squirt a stinky liquid at players when they lost points. Because of this, Gran didn't like them playing Gobstones in the house. However, the family had sets from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes that made rude sounds instead. Ron had developed so that the game could be played indoors on rainy days.

She also got the chance to play wizard chess. This was a lot like regular chess. The rules were the same, however, the wizard chess set pieces were like living objects. They moved when you asked them and they could also talk. However, they constantly gave the players advice which didn't always help. Most pieces, except for the Bishop, didn't like to be sacrificed for the good of the game. So they weren't worth listening to. Dalia had a hard time ignoring them and didn't do very well when she played Hugo.

"Don't worry," Lucy told her, "Once you get your own pieces, they'll get used to you and won't be so talkative."

During a game of exploding snap that singed the carpet, Lucy reintroduced the topic of magic without wands. "Do you suppose that they'll start teaching us to use magic without wands?"

"At school?" Dalia seemed doubtful.

"Sure," Lucy said with a twinkle in her eye. "The Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts are governed separately. The Ministry sometimes tries to influence policy at Hogwarts but they only can if the Headmaster agrees. And that doesn't always happen."

"They've never taught us that before," Albus pointed out. "But it doesn't matter much. We'll still be using spells, won't we? Until we learn magic without saying the words, it won't be worth much."

"True." Lucy sighed. "And there's no reason to use magic without wands there. I don't think the headmaster would ever allow the Wandless Ward at Hogwarts. Besides, it's hard enough to master magic with wands. Doing it without them has to be about a hundred times harder."

Then, as if to prove a point, Lucy pulled out her wand, whispered "reparo" and the burns on the carpet faded only a little. "Darn, I've never been very good at cleaning spells."

"You're better at it than my brothers – or Teddy. I think they're all allergic to cleaning," Lily pointed out.

Although they mostly agreed that wandless magic instruction would never happen, it didn't stop them talking about the ways they could expand magic use. Albus was all for including wandless magic in classes, even though it would be harder.

"Typical," Lily said. "You like to find the hardest way of doing things, don't you Al?"

"I just like to be prepared for everything. That's how I got to be first year dueling champion."

Lily sighed. It wasn't the first time Albus had pointed out his championship status.

Dalia thought it was fun to speculate about the rules of magic, even if they might be completely wrong. But the discussion reinforced her desire to get to Hogwarts. Once there, she could actually practice magic. Until then, all she could do was carry around her wand and polish it.

Before long, Dalia was joining James, Albus, and Lily in saying goodbye to everyone. Lucy and Hugo promised to see them on the train to Hogwarts.

"Are you sure you need to leave so early?" Gran was asking her daughter.

"Yes, Mum. I've got an article deadline and the kids need to get home and have a few days of normalcy before they start back at school."

"If you're sure, dear," she said as she reached out for hugs. "Dalia, it was very nice to meet you. Come by any time!"

"That's very nice of you, Gran. Thank you for having me."

"It's no trouble."

But instead of leaving the way that they came, Ginny and Harry led them to the front door. Dalia didn't question this and allowed herself to be shuffled out the door, after many pauses and more hugs from both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Once they emerged onto the street, Ginny and the four children said goodbye to Harry, who was leaving to check in at work for a few hours. Then Ginny announced that they were taking the Night Bus back to Godric's Hollow.

Dalia didn't have to wait long before discovering what Ginny meant. Within 30 seconds, a large triple-decker purple bus roared into view. Dalia didn't see where it had come from but one moment it was not there, and the next moment it was. Once inside the bus, Dalia thought it looked a lot like the inside of Grimauld Place. The main floor, where Ginny insisted they sit, had lots of armchairs that slid around when the bus stopped or made tight turns, which was often.

The driver, a stout little witch, didn't seem to be familiar with the rules of the road. Still, they managed to get from location to location, with witches and wizards entering and exiting the bus. Most of them made their way over to the stairs and ascended. But every now and then, one of them would greet Ginny or one of the Potters fondly before settling into place quickly, so as to avoid falling down when the bus squeezed between cars or barely dodged buildings.

By the time they had arrived in Godric's Hollow, Dalia was quite anxious to be on solid ground. Lily looked a little worse for wear too and James looked positively green. Albus, however, looked as cheerful as ever as he exited. He sprinted for the front door which sprang open for him as the others finished the trip up the long walkway.

That afternoon, the Potters and Dalia had a quiet lunch. They spent the evening playing cards, listening to music on the Wizarding Wireless, and just generally enjoying themselves. When they went off to their separate rooms, Lily promised to change and return, suggesting Dalia change as well. By the time Dalia was in her pajamas and was brushing out her hair, Lily returned as promised, followed by Ginny.

"Harry and I have something for you Dalia," Ginny said.

Ginny continued, "When our kids go off to Hogwarts, we give them a traveling trunk. For Harry, the trunk was like his magical home where he kept all of his magical supplies in there over the summer. So we like to give our kids trunks that have been passed down and have a bit of history. It's kind of silly, I suppose, but it's our own little tradition."

Dalia thought that made sense. She imagined herself going to Hogwarts and trying to balance stacks of her bright pink suitcases.

"James has Harry's old trunk. Al has his uncle Charlie's. Lily is getting mine."

Lily grinned and nodded.

"We thought you might like one as well." And, with that the door of the room was nudged open further as a large, old trunk floated gently into the room and plopped down at Dalia's feet.

"One of your aunt Lily's friends gave this to me when I was asking for copies of old photos. It was Lily's school trunk. It was filled with memorabilia and she stored it in her friend's attic during the days of Voldemort. The contents meant a lot to Harry, who doesn't remember his parents very well. As for the trunk itself, we thought you might like to have it."

Dalia looked at it. It was beaten-up in places. The brass corners were dinged and the color was faded a bit around the top, suggesting that it had once been kept in bright sunlight. It was large but, when she opened it up, the inside seemed even bigger than the outside. Possibly noticing Dalia's amazement, Ginny said, "A lot of the time, girls' trunks are magically enlarged on the inside to hold all of the extra clothes and things they like to bring to school."

Dalia was sure that even all of the extra items her mother insisted she pack would fit inside with room to spare. Ginny promised to teach her a few security spells to keep the trunk locked and its contents safe.

"Wow! This is really nice. But," she turned to her cousin, "it was your grandma, Lily's. Maybe you should have it."

"Don't be silly, Dalia," said Ginny.

"It's ok. I've got my mums. Lily was your aunt. She was the first wizard in her family, like you."

Dalia gazed down at it for a minute and then simply said, "Thanks."


	6. Politics As Usual

Chapter 6: Politics As Usual

The next day, Ginny had locked herself away in a small room off the kitchen that contained a desk, a fireplace, and a large perch where multiple owls could rest between deliveries. It was her office. As she had told her mother the previous day, she had work to finish and this was where she did it. Owls were good for delivering mail but direct communications between wizards, Dalia was told, could be done by fire. It was part of the Floo Network that allowed people to travel by fire. But this function was like using a muggle phone or computer for video chat. Ginny could interview subjects, who appeared in her fire, while she appeared in theirs. This way should could conduct interviews and communicate quickly, all from home.

Harry made the kids breakfast. Dalia noticed that he was a fairly adept cook. He didn't seem to resort to magic as often as the other wizards she'd seen in the kitchen, preferring hand tools to wands for much of it. When she asked about it, he said that her grandma Petunia had taught him a lot about cooking. So he was used to doing it the muggle way.

After they ate, he and all of his children, plus Dalia, spent the rest of morning with him, in the field behind the house flying on broomsticks. Harry's children could fly well, as Dalia had noticed previously, but they were less daring with their father around. Dalia, who had been worried that her mother wouldn't approve if she were swooping around in the air, gained a little more confidence on the broom with her uncle in their midst. She was now flying as high as the chimney atop Goodwood Cottage.

Harry had helped her with this feat by placing a sort force field charm on her which, he said, was like having a net below you.

"It's a bouncing charm, actually. It comes in pretty handy sometimes even when you're not flying. I've used it to bounce objects off me when people make a fuss, throwing things at me during an arrest."

Dalia didn't even fall once and her confidence was buoyed knowing that she couldn't crash into the hard earth.

She spent the first hour simply flying as high as she dared. After a while, Harry taught her how to bank for turns, first encouraging her to make turns gradually, but then teaching her to do it quicker. This was something that was very important in quidditch but it would also help her when navigating the skies above inhabited areas.

Before Dalia realized it, they had been in the air a few hours. It was lunchtime when the group all landed, leaving dirt skidmarks in the field from their feet making contact with the ground. They headed back for the house, broomsticks over their shoulders. After a morning of flying, she felt very tired.

"You'd think it wouldn't tire you out, riding a broom," Harry said as though he were reading his niece's mind. "But it takes a lot of mental energy to fly."

"That's because you're old," James teased.

"Not so old that I can't beat you in a race of speed," Harry quipped back, a smile on his face.

Harry must have been right because James dropped the subject.

When they arrived in the kitchen, they found Ginny already there and a stack of sandwiches she had assembled was waiting for them.

"You didn't have to make lunch. The kids and I can fend for ourselves," Harry told his wife, kindly.

"I wasn't doing it to be nice," Ginny started. "I needed to vent some steam."

"And you did it by making sandwiches?"

"It's an old habit," she sighed. "You know I cook when I'm angry—like my mother."

"What's up? Story not going so well?" Harry inquired, carefully.

"You can say that again!"

Harry, his voice measured, said to the children "It's a beautiful day. Why don't you take your sandwiches outside to eat. And bring some pumpkin juice with you."

Dalia knew that the adults wanted to speak in private. This parental tactic was the same everywhere. Each of them loaded up a plate and grabbed a glass. Albus picked up a jug of pumpkin juice and the four of them went out the back door and settled themselves on the soft grass. Before they could make a start on their food, James, who had his wand concealed in his shirtsleeves, pointed his arm toward the kitchen window and uttered a few well-chosen words. The window opened a crack so they could hear everything the adults were saying. He made a shushing motion and they all listened as voices wafted out of the kitchen.

Ginny was explaining that she was writing about how the Wandless Ward would affect quidditch. It turned out that the ward extended to the use of brooms too. They, like wands, were instruments that conveyed a wizard's magic. While a broom's magic was limited to flying, it would still be rendered useless by the Wandless Ward.

"If the ward is in place, all you can do with a broom is sweep," Ginny said sarcastically.

"Didn't you already know that?"

"I did, but what I didn't realize was that the Department of Magical Games and Sports is already considering wandless and broomless options for quidditch. They're saying it can be played on the ground, without magic. Can you imagine?"

Dalia didn't think this was so bad. She was already used to playing muggle soccer. She assumed that Harry, who had been raised with her father after all, understood soccer too but his voice was grave. "I thought they were discussing how to set-up a flying field in the middle of a warded area, so only the players could fly and use magic. I thought it was a fantastic idea. It would work better than the other charms they use to prevent spectators from interfering with a match."

"I thought so too," Ginny admitted. "But that's not what my source is saying."

"I didn't realize they were considering banning magic from quidditch," Harry said with disbelief. "It's a long-held tradition and it certainly isn't hurting anyone. This has gone too far. Hermione is going to be fuming over this. She has been fighting for civil rights for all magical beings since she was at school."

"I tried talking to Hermione, but she is busy—completely slammed with inquiries regarding the press conference with Morgan yesterday. And she's supposed to be on vacation." Ginny shook her head. "Ron said they'd be coming home tonight. It's only two days early but he says she doesn't want to wait. She thinks that things are going to become heated once all of this gets out. Ron's anxious to get back too. It's like Voldemort all over again."

"It's just quidditch," Harry reasoned, with new calm in his voice. "It will blow over."

"Do you think she's only coming back for quidditch? It gets worse than that."

Dalia, who had just finished gulping down pumpkin juice, was tucking into a corned beef sandwich and stopped at hearing these words from her aunt.

"It's not just Games and Sports" Ginny continued. "It's every department. They're all considering how they might function with widespread use of the ward. They are drawing up emergency plans, saying they want to be prepared in case Magical Law Enforcement asks them to use it for emergencies. That's their excuse, anyway."

"This is the first I'm hearing of this. Has someone from my department sent out a memo asking for emergency planning? Because I certainly didn't authorize one."

"The only department who would comment was the Muggle Liaison Office, of course. Percy said he hadn't seen any kind of memo. He thinks it's just rumor and hearsay. But it's spreading like a bad case of Dragon Pox." She paused before continuing. "Harry, I think you need to consider making a public statement."

"I wouldn't dream of doing it without the minister's approval. Not on something like this. A statement might make things worse if it creates more speculation."

"Kingsley agrees with me."

"You've spoken with him?"

"I had to. The Order of the Phoenix would be taking a hard line on the ward, you know they would."

"I'm sure you're right. But, Hogwarts! School is going to start soon. Kingsley's got plenty on his plate just getting the school up and running."

"I invited him over for dinner and he accepted. Neville too," Ginny sighed. "There are other things to discuss but talk of the ward means we need to take action sooner, rather than later. Ron said he and Hermione would try to come too. I was about to send an invitation to Charlie and Traian."

"Good idea. I really hoped things wouldn't develop like this. I hoped the ministry and Morgan would see reason."

"I'm just glad I found out that the ministry is talking about widespread use of the ward through the grapevine, instead of when it's being used against me or my family."

"I agree," Harry said, sighing deeply. "Are you alright for your article? I know it's due later."

"I'm fine. It's going to be a puff piece about the new Tutshill Tornado uniforms. But my editor loves that stuff. Anything to appease the fan base, you know."

The conversation faded and Dalia could tell that her aunt and uncle had left the room. James closed the window. "Politics," he said dismissively.

"Why is the name Neville familiar? I think I've heard your mum talk about him."

"He's Professor Longbottom, the Herbology professor at Hogwarts." Albus pointed out.

"And the one who destroyed Voldemort's last horcrux," said Lily. "He's a hero."

"Lily fancies him," James said matter-of-factly.

"I do not!" Lily protested.

"And Kingsley?" Dalia asked.

"Headmaster of Hogwarts. He's great, Kingsley is. He's really good at keeping everyone calm. He'll be Minister of Magic one day," James was saying. "I think this will all blow over. The ward is just a really popular spell. That happens with magic. In a week it'll be a spell to make people's hair fall out. We'll all be bald."

"And George will be selling hats that cast the wandless ward around our heads," Albus added.

After lunch, Dalia wrote to her parents again. She didn't mention anything about intrigue or her flying so high. Mostly she talked about seeing all of the Weasleys and how happy she had been to be in London again so soon, even if had only been for a day. Zorro wove around her feet as she wrote.

She and Lily carried her letter into the kitchen hoping to find an owl, with Zorro in hot pursuit. When they found no owl, Lily knocked quietly on her mother's office door.

"Come in," Ginny said. There was no trace of the earlier anger in her voice.

"Dalia just wanted to post a letter," Lily implored.

"Of course," she said as she sipped from her tea. "Take Zeus. He hasn't had a letter all day."

Once Dalia had given Zeus, a large gray owl, the letter and he flew off Ginny said "I'm sorry lunch was so weird. I got off-track with my article for a while. But it's sent off now. I'm just writing some letters and making some calls."

"It's ok," Dalia assured her.

"We're going to be having a lot of company for dinner. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Neville Longbottom, Ron, Hermione, Charlie, and Traian."

The girls pretended to be surprised.

"No kids, well, except for you four. We have lots to discuss. And, Dalia, you'll be meeting Professor Shacklebolt. He's headmaster of Hogwarts and he's excited to meet you."

"Oh," said Dalila who didn't know what else to say.

"Don't worry, he's not like most heads. He's quiet and lets everyone say what's on their minds. He's also got the gift of calming people down. It's something about his voice. Professor Longbottom will be there too," Ginny added. "He's got a real green thumb. He's also pretty handy with a sword as well as a wand."

When they left Ginny's office Dalia and Lily decided to take another walk in the village. Albus joined them but James declined. They simply wandered around. Since they didn't have errands to run, Dalia saw more of the village this time. Albus and Lily walked her by the muggle palm reader that Lily had talked about before. Her house had a large sign outside saying: _Palmistry, Crystal Balls, and Tarot Read Here. Results Guaranteed_. Lily laughed at this, as if it were the most absurd thing in the world.

As they reached the outskirts of town and Dalia was convinced they would be turning around soon, Albus pointed into a field near the road. "Ron and Hermione live back there."

Dalia couldn't see a house. All she could see was a little trail that led back from the road. In the distance, there was a small hillock.

"The house is set in the hill," Lily explained. It kind of _is_ the hill – it takes up most of it anyway."

They knew that the Weasleys probably weren't home yet so they turned around and walked back toward Goodwood Cottage. They didn't talk about what they'd heard at lunch that day. Instead, they speculated about what house they'd be sorted into.

Dalia worried slightly about being put in Slytherin but she was assured by Albus that if she didn't want to be in it, she wouldn't be. He still wasn't saying how the sorting took place though. Lily wanted to be in Gryffindor, like her brothers, Lucy, and Hugo but said she wouldn't mind Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Dalia thought she'd like Gryffindor too. She did well in school but wasn't as into academics as some kids so she didn't think Ravenclaw was a possibilty. She thought she might make a good Hufflepuff though. What Lucy had said about the Hufflepuffs being flexible seems to fit her. After all of the moves she'd made in her life, flexibility was second nature. But to be in Gryffindor seemed like the best. She'd be with the Potters and many of the Weasleys. No matter what they all said about her being family, she thought that this would make that a reality, especially among those on the other side of Lily's family.

When they got back, they could smell food being cooked.

"Meatballs!" said Albus excitedly.

Dalia helped set 13 seats at the table. She mentally calculated the number of people in her head: 5 Potters, Ron and Hermione, Charlie and Traian, and Kingley Shacklebolt, Neville Longbottom, plus herself made 12. Maybe she was forgetting somebody.

Almost as soon as the table was set, wizards began popping into view. First to arrive were Charlie and Traian, followed Kingsley Shacklebolt and Neville Longbottom. Ron and Hermione, who lived in the village and must have finally arrived home, walked in through the front door.

Dalia was introduced to Neville. She understood Lily's crush. Neville was tall, handsome, and very nice. He didn't seem like she'd thought he must, being a hero and all. He just seemed like an ordinary grown-up, albeit, a bit like an older brother.

When Dalia met Kingsley, she finally understood what everyone was saying about him. He was a black wizard with graying hair. He wore colorful robes in African patterns. His voice was deep and even and he did have a calming effect on Dalia who was, after all, nervous to meet her new headmaster, especially in a social setting.

They milled around for a while before sitting down at the table, one by one. Dalia, who chose a seat one away from an end, across from Lily, was sitting next to Hermione who gave her with a hug and many questions about her week with the Potters. Once they were all seated, Dalia noticed the spot on the other side of her was vacant. She had been right about there being 12 people.

"Nearly 7 o'clock," Harry said. "We're just waiting for—"

But before he could finish what he was saying, Dalia heard a pop behind her, next to the credenza. When she turned around, she was in shock. Her father had appeared, a hairbrush in one hand while the other was clutching at the credenza to keep from falling over.


End file.
